This year, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair celebrates its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of showcasing African art and hosting artists in dialogue. Here are five reasons you should make a stop at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), from 17 to 19 February.

‘You’re the only thot in my head’ by Talia Ramkilawan. Image: Bernard Brand

A 10th anniversary

For the past decade the fair has brought artists, galleries, curators, art professionals and art lovers together in one city to celebrate and explore creativity on the African continent. 

“I think the most important achievement, in these 10 years, is creating a place of confrontation and dialogue,” Laura Vincenti, Investec Cape Town Art Fair director, told Maverick Life. 

This year the fair will showcase works from 106 exhibitors at the CTICC to create a “city” of art where visitors step into intimate booths to view the various exhibits. 

The fair will also debut a new event, Art Speed Dating, designed to connect artists and practitioners. Though the event is by invitation only, Vincenti says she hopes this new method of networking will open doors for those working in the art industry, and perhaps even be a form of job creation. 

“You never know what can happen,” she says. 

“The fair’s aim is not just celebrating or showcasing art, it is really about creating connections with the city, with the local institutions and with artists… Our aim is to expand our outreach all through the year and act as an engine for the cultural industry in the country.”

‘Forces at Play’ by Kate Gottgens. Image: South Atlantic Press

Travel through time

This year, the fair is curated around the theme of “time”, allowing artists and visitors alike to reflect on years gone by, pause for moments of introspection of the present day and look ahead and envision a future of art on the continent. “A big anniversary gives you the chance to reflect on time, on what you’ve done and what you want to do in the future. We chose the curators that embrace this idea of the fair, and asked them to represent their vision of the theme in the dialogue between artists and galleries and curators,” Vincenti explains. 

There is something for everyone this year, with solo exhibits, offerings from various galleries, a section dedicated to technology, “Editions”, which features galleries and workshops that specialise in prints, multiples and editions and presentations of Modern masters.

The Tomorrows/Today section, titled “In and Out of Time”, is made up of 10 booths that reflect “the decade of the art fair” and explores love, affection and suffering. The title is taken from a Maya Angelou song, where the poet writes:

“I was always yours to have.
You were always mine.
We have loved each other in and out of time.”

“‘In and Out of Time’ takes Maya Angelou’s poem as the starting point to address the most subjective and intimate dimension of time, the idea that time perception is intertwined with the affective sphere, with our experience of sensuality and intimacy, with our capacity to relate to each other through emotional intelligence… our subjectivities are made of complex layering of personal memories, our interpretation of the past and our imagination projected into the future,” says Dr Mariella Franzoni, one of the curators of the section.

Through this lens, visitors can explore the soft pink exhibit, a colour chosen for its emotive links to love, intimacy and affection as well as childhood and playfulness. 

‘Leave (Get Out)’ by Rosie Mudge. Image: SMAC Gallery

Athenkosi Kwinana will be exhibiting in the ‘Solo’ section at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Image: Berman Contemporary

‘If it’s not important, leave it’ by Micha Serraf, who will exhibit at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair this year. Image: C24 Gallery

The Solo section, this year titled “Time’s Labyrinth”, explores the connection between drawing and photography through the work of 10 artists “whose work deserves considered pause”, says curator Sean O’Toole. 

“Typically at fairs, dealers present a curated mix of stock. Call it safety in diversity. That means one or possibly two works by a particular artist in a booth. For the visitor, it can be difficult to make a reasoned judgement about an artist — more so when they are new and unknown – based on this edited selection. Solo is an opportunity for a richer encounter,” O’Toole believes. 

“Every artist on view is a possible road to a future.”

Technology and art

For a second year, the newer addition to the fair will be returning in “ALT”, which reflects the impact of technology on the art industry. Here, visitors are invited to engage with art in different, unconventional ways that embrace a changing world. 

“We thought that it was the right time to introduce a new model of galleries – alternative galleries, anti-booth galleries or non-traditional galleries – spaces that deal with technology, and virtual reality, or even just a different way of showing art and perceiving the exhibition,” Vincenti says. 

The six presentations at “ALT” showcase the possibilities and opportunities for the art world to change and evolve using a different approach.

“With technology at our disposal, it’s not just looking at art, you can use all your five senses. And it’s a very different way of approaching art… it opens the fruition of art to a broader public,” says Vincenti. 

Visitors to the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in 2022. Image: Stephanie Veldman

‘Proof of Life’ by Anna van der Ploeg. Image: Reservoir

Unathi Mkonto will exhibit as part of the ‘ALT’ section at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Image: CHURCH projects

A piece by Marsi van de Heuval, who will exhibit at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Image: Investec Cape Town Art Fair

Sharing insights at the Talks Programme

The fair will also host speakers from the art world to share their knowledge, experience and insights on Saturday, 18 February at the Westin Hotel. The programme is curated by Charlotte Ashamu and invites debate and discussion on various topics. 

“Although the fair is about business and commerce, it also presents a learning opportunity. My favourite part of attending art fairs is the learning which takes place as you get to meet people in the industry, hear about their experiences and gain new insights,” Ashamu says. 

“In this year’s Talks Programmes we have a dynamic group of speakers from across the continent, from Nigeria to Kenya to South Africa. I am looking forward to the pan-African presence and connections at the fair this year… I hope that the Talks Programme will be an opportunity for people to connect and get inspired to take action to support Africa’s arts and cultural industries.”

Out and about

While there is so much to see in the main fair venue at the CTICC, the creativity also spills out over the entire city, showcasing the Mother City as a living, breathing piece of art itself. The fair’s standing in Cape Town is also a win for local artists, O’Toole believes, as it has “come to form the nucleus of the city’s evolving art scene”.

Not to be missed are the walkabouts, which guide visitors through the fair and showcase the works through the eyes of curators, academics, artists and gallerists.

On gallery night (Friday, 17 February), visitors can gallery-hop and explore the city’s art scene under the lights. 

“The fair is a fun, beautiful event to attend but I am also excited by the impact that the fair can have on Cape Town’s local economy in terms of supporting jobs and small businesses in the local tourism industry,” notes Ashamu. DM/ML

Investec Cape Town Art Fair’s 10th-anniversary edition runs from 17 to 19 February 2023. Tickets are available on Webtickets.