February may be the month of love, but in Cape Town it’s all about a love for art! This is the month of celebrating continental creativity in the Mother City, as Cape Town plays host to both the International Public Art Festival (14-18 February) and the annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair from 16-18 February 2024.
2024 marks the 11th outing for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair; an event that has become the largest art gathering on the continent and will this year draw thousands of artists and art-lovers, creators and curators, to the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
This year’s Fair is the largest yet, and the numbers are certainly impressive: 25 000 people will attend the Fair over three days, viewing works by more than 400 artists from 50 different countries working in 30 different art forms. Together, they create a unique opportunity for both a holistic overview and a deep-dive into the current landscape of African arts and creativity.
While the diversity in expression and form is remarkable, there is a cohesive thread tying the strands of creativity together. This year’s Fair is curated around the theme of ‘Unbound’, shining a spotlight on emerging and ‘unbound’ voices from across Africa and the diaspora.
Championing Africa’s growing impact and relevance on the global artistic stage has long been key to the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Because while the Fair is a remarkable showcase of the depth of talent in Africa, and one of Cape Town’s key cultural events, it is also a vital platform for emerging African artists to connect with galleries and curators from across the globe.
“Cape Town is a vibrant cultural hub,” explains Fair director Laura Vincenti. “It is very attractive to international collectors, with the great combination of diverse, cutting-edge art and a favourable exchange rate. This year the Fair continues its work of providing an annual platform for artists, galleries, curators, museums, cultural institutions, collectors, and art enthusiasts to connect and interact in the name of art.”
While Cape Town’s spacious Convention Centre is the heart of the Fair – with an exciting roster of guided walks and talks on offer daily – the cultural impact of the event is actively spread further afield in the city.
Alongside commercial galleries and studios welcoming visitors, international galleries Galerie EIGEN + ART and Suburbia Contemporary will host pop-up exhibitions and public art events in the historic Bo-Kaap district. Participating Cape Town galleries will make the Fair even more accessible, with special exhibitions and tours to tie in with the official event.
Though the Art Fair has become an annual highlight on the city’s arts calendar, Cape Town’s vibrant collection of contemporary galleries has established South Africa’s ‘Mother City’ as a year-round destination for art-lovers.
In the V&A Waterfront precinct, just a short drive from Ellerman House you’ll find the landmark Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, alongside boutique commercial galleries such as Everard Read. This is South Africa’s oldest commercial art gallery, and offers formal gallery spaces and an outdoor sculpture garden. In nearby Green Point the Goodman Gallery – which also has galleries in London and New York – has played a formative role in shaping South Africa’s contemporary art landscape, and is always worth a visit. The concierge at Ellerman House will be happy to arrange a personalised guided tour of notable galleries for in-house guests.
Because the cultural experience at Ellerman House has always been driven by the owner’s deep love for South African art, and today the House is home to one of South Africa’s most notable private art collections, deftly capturing the zeitgeist of the country over the past 200 years.
From early-colonial pictorial history to nuanced apartheid-era works, iconic landscapes to eye-catching contemporary creations, in both the main House and dedicated Contemporary Art Gallery you’ll find more than 1000 works on display.
Complimentary guided art tours for inhouse guests, led by our curator, are available by appointment, for those who would like to delve deeper into the nuances of artistic expression in Africa through the centuries.
