Turbine Art Fair set to make art accessible

12 Jul 2013

Johannesburg's the forum company was formed almost 10 years ago, and since then the company has been organising stylish and sophisticated events such as conferences and weddings. Affordable South African art which the company collects contributes to the experiences provided by the forum company.

Turbine Art Fair set to make art accessible

"We cannot imagine living without art and we believe that too few people have the opportunity to acquire art let alone have the confidence to start their own art collections," says Glynis Hyslop, managing director, the forum company. "As a result, we have decided to create an exciting new addition to the South African art calendar - Turbine Art Fair."

A variety of offerings

The first Turbine Art Fair will be held during the last weekend of July 2013 at the award-winning venue the forum | turbine hall in the Newtown Cultural Precinct. Attendees of this exciting art fair will have the opportunity to fulfil both their art-viewing and art-buying needs whilst the café and bar will cater for their discerning taste buds. A series of free lectures will be held during the weekend to help educate first-time buyers on how to start their art collections. There will also be a state of South African Art market featuring well-known art personalities in South Africa.

Staedtler, one of the world's leading manufacturers of writing, colouring and drawing instruments will be hosting the children's art area. Whilst parents are buying the perfect work of art, their children will be able to create their own masterpieces in a safe and secure space and expose even the youngest to the pleasure of art.

The Turbine Art Fair is the ideal starting point for those who wish to start collecting South African art and a platform for new and upcoming artists to show their work. Paintings, original artist-made prints, sculpture and photography will all be on show with over 20 galleries from Cape Town and Johannesburg being represented at the art fair. Whether you are looking for artwork that is traditional or contemporary, by a famous name or an undiscovered talent, the Turbine Art Fair will cater to all tastes with prices ranging from R1000-R25,000.

"Whether you're new to the art world or just don't want to spend your life savings to add to your collection we hope the Turbine Art Fair will have something for everyone," adds Hyslop.

Affordable, accessible art

"There is a growing awareness throughout the nation of what art is and the importance of artists within the community," says David Krut, who will be one of the galleries exhibiting at The Turbine Art Fair.

"Gallery AOP aims at engendering a creative dialogue between artists and its versatile exhibition space, encouraging them to extend their artistic practice by articulating the famous 44 Stanley Avenue gallery anew with each show. This is often augmented with publications of various kinds, conceptualised in conjunction with each artist, and executed by a handpicked production team of designers, photographers, writers and printers. Gallery AOP promotes contemporary art on paper, notably limited-edition fine art prints, drawings and water colours by young and established South African artists and also exhibits sculpture, mounts installations, and stages performances from time to time. Many of the artists we represent will be on show at the Turbine Art Fair, an exciting new platform for the gallery, and an innovative way in which to reach a broader client base," says Alet, Art on Paper.

"I think that the great thing about the Turbine Art Fair is that it is affordable and accessible for us to take a stand there and not intimidating and expensive like other shows. This accessibility will translate into making 'art' accessible to the people visiting. I think it sets the right tone," says Anthony Shapiro, Art in the Forest.

On the evening of 26 July 2013 there will be a Preview Cocktail Evening where guests can enjoy delicious canapé's prepared by the team of chefs at the forum company, fine South African wine and be the first to see the exciting artworks on display. To book for this evening, go to www.webticket.co.za.

Invaluable exposure for SA artists

Galleries exhibiting at the Turbine Art Fair include: Art in the Forest, Artist Proof Studios, Art on Paper, Artspace, Art Vault, Bag Factory Artists Studios, Charles Greig, David Krut, Gallery 2, Glyph Art Solutions, Imbali, Intethe, In Toto, Prince Albert Gallery, Resolution Gallery, Speke, the Lovell Gallery and Trent Gallery.

Simon Bannister, the David Shepherd Wildlife artist of 2013 will be walking his life-size giraffes over the Nelson Mandela Bridge to Turbine Hall where they will be on show and for sale for the duration of the Turbine Art Fair.

Another highlight of the Turbine Art Fair will be the young artists' curated space. This is in keeping with its mission to showcase the young, the talented and the contemporary, and most importantly to make art accessible to all. The curated space promises to attract exceptional South African talent chosen on merit. This creative area will be a public exhibition for young up-and-coming artists to increase their personal profile in the art world and gain invaluable exposure and experience in the public domain.

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