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JoburgArtFair returns

19 Aug 2016

The annual FNB JoburgArt Fair will return to Johannesburg's Sandton Convention Centre from 9 - 11 September 2016.

Nolan Oswald Dennis - image by Anthea Pokroy

This year, the fair will feature 80 exhibitions within 6 categories including contemporary and modern art, special projects, gallery solo projects, limited editions and art platforms. The selected galleries and organisations hail from 17 countries across Africa, Europe and the United States.

Faye Mfikwe, FNB Chief Marketing Officer says “The FNB Joburg Art Fair continues to play a significant role in discovering the value that artists bring to society and has earned a reputation as the ideal place for those interested in African contemporary art. As a proudly South African bank with roots that extend into several other countries on the African continent and further afield, First National Bank (FNB) endeavours to sustain the support of art through this prestigious annual event.”

This FNB JoburgArtFair heralds the new executive directorship of Mandla Sibeko: “Under my directorship I wish to see the FNB JoburgArtFair continue to lead not only South African audiences but the world’s appreciation of cutting edge African art”.

East Africa focus

Fair Curator, Lucy MacGarry chose to focus this year on East Africa as a dynamic hub of art making on the continent. The Special Projects programme will manifest as an invitational section that spotlights the artistic landscape of East Africa. This will feature a selection of leading artists and art spaces from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

As the highlight of this programme, 2016 Featured Artist, Wangechi Mutu (Kenya / USA) will be exhibiting a film and sculptural installation presented by Keyes Art Mile. The Kenyan born artist comes to the fair as the highlight of this year’s curatorial focus on contemporary and modern art practices from East Africa and its diaspora. Mutu spent the last two decades living and working in New York. Being based in America has helped her to build what is today a global art practice. Wangechi continues to work in New York whilst establishing a studio in Nairobi. The move positions her among a growing list of renowned artists injecting a new vibrant energy into the East African art scene.

Further solo presentations by Aida Muluneh (Ethiopia), Jim Chuchu (Kenya), The Nest Collective (Kenya) will feature alongside site-specific works by Serge Alain Nitegeka (Burundi) and Sanaa Gateja (Uganda).

FNB JoburgArtFair Curator, Lucy MacGarry explains that, “East Africa is a vast geographical area with varied and often disparate social and creative perspectives and sensibilities. This year’s curatorial intervention will give audiences a first step towards engaging in artistic developments and narratives arising from the region. Presenting both emerging and world-acclaimed artists, galleries and non-profit organisations our intention is to provide a catalyst for on-going research, transnational dialogue and future projects of significance.”

FNB Art Prize

The FNB JoburgArtFair hosts an annual series of non-profit projects and events to create a holistic view of creative practice in Africa. These include, the highly coveted FNB Art Prize that awards an artist a cash prize and the opportunity to create a new project for the Fair; a programme of talks – lectures, discussions and interviews, and the FNB Private Wealth and FNB Private Clients Lounge that features the work of a featured designer from the continent.
Over the years, the FNB Art Prize has not only celebrated the work of shining South African artists, but has also been awarded to ground breaking artists from around the African continent. This has allowed both the Fair and the FNB Art Prize to enhance a creative dialogue within the growing contemporary African art markets. This year the coveted art prize goes to Nolan Oswald Dennis.

As a winner of the FNB Art Prize, Dennis joins a prestigious list of winners since the launch of the FNB Art Prize in 2011. The prestigious FNB Art Prize has since become one of the coveted visual art prizes on the African continent. The winning artist receives a cash prize as well as an opportunity to showcase their work in a dedicated space at the FNB JoburgArtFair.

All galleries participating in the FNB JoburgArtFair are given the opportunity to nominate one of their artists for consideration by our jury. This year, the jury consisted of Zimbabwean curator and director of the Zimbabwean National Gallery in Harare, Raphael Chikukwa, FNB JoburgArtFair curator, Lucy MacGarry and Angolan architect and curator, Paula Nascimento.

A groundbreaking addition and highlight of the 2016 FNB JoburgArtFair is the first ever series of TEDxJohannesburgSalon Talks themed on the contemporary visual arts of Africa. The programme, presented by Ogogiii magazine – the bi-quarterly magazine known for cutting edge perspectives on African design, culture, business and global affairs – will include a full day of talks presented by dynamic artists, curators and thinkers at the Theatre on the Square at Nelson Mandela Square.