The applications for Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2021 are now open. The guidelines and entry forms are accessible on the website here. Applications close on October 8, 2020.

Taking place between February 19-21, 2021, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Investec Cape Town Art Fair offers an intimate experience of the largest contemporary art fair in Africa, in one of the world’s most vibrant art cities. With over 107 exhibitors, 22,000 visitors, 4800 VIPs and a supportive local art community, the fair provides a platform for collectors, galleries, curators, artists, and art journalists from around the globe to engage and create connections. Investec Cape Town Art Fair has proven to be the place where the fast-growing African art market and the international art world meet. The fair continues to attract the participation of prominent galleries from the region and beyond, with many international galleries presenting their artists within an African context alongside Africa’s leading contemporary art galleries.

With the emergence of COVID-19, the world is being driven into a state of uncertainty and the urgency of rebuilding. Therefore, Investec Cape Town Art Fair’s focus for its ninth edition is shared-support, collaboration and inspiring new initiatives to ensure momentum and establish a support system amongst exhibitors. We believe in the art fair model to bring people together to connect, converse and contemplate at the forefront of contemporary art. The 2021 edition of the fair looks profoundly to the notion of collaboration across aspects of Investec Cape Town Art Fair with the intention of opening up a dialogue and a shared support structure, with an exchange of ideas, research, artists, strategies and resources.

The fair’s curated sections contribute to its intimate engagement: Tomorrows/Today showcases artists who will be tomorrow’s leading names. The section will again be co-curated by Nkule Mabaso (Head Curator, Michaelis Galleries, South Africa) and Luigi Fassi (Artistic Director, MAN-Contemporary Art Museum, Italy). The Tomorrows/Today platform is meant to act as a forecast of future relevant practises and ideas. There is no knowable line that one crosses to move from emerging to established, therefore the section can present artists who have a track record but for whatever reason have not gained significant attention. SOLO: insight-out seeks to more fully explore the artistic practices of artists working locally and abroad, through curated solo presentations. In its fourth iteration, the section will explore how artists have reacted to the isolation period, as well as opening up a conversation about the effect that exchange and collaboration has in the artist’s production. The questions of how sharing has enriched the artist’s practice and how virtual contact has impacted their practice come to mind.

In the fourth year of our partnership, Investec Cape Town Art Fair continues to leverage the support of our title sponsor, Investec. The fair offers collectors the unique opportunity to engage with a wide cross-section of the art world, through events in collaboration with our participating galleries and partnering art institutions. In addition, Investec Cape Town Art Fair will expand its public programme, giving all visitors an in-depth view of Cape Town’s ever-thriving contemporary art scene.

For more information on the application procedures please contact Hanna Noor Mahomed, hanna@fieramilano.co.za