Expect emerging African talent at The Forum Company’s Turbine Art Fair, one of South Africa’s most anticipated art events returning to Turbine Hall in Newtown from 14 to 17 July.
‘Over 50 galleries and exhibits from across South Africa will be showcasing the finest contemporary and emerging African talent,’ says Managing Director of The Forum Company, Glynis Hyslop.
Galleries exhibiting at TAF2016 include Art Source South Africa, CIRCA Gallery, David Krut Projects, Kalashnikovv Gallery, Artist Proof Studio and Mzanzi Gallery. TAF16 aims to promote new work and talent and create a new art audience and collector base. Exhibitors, whether galleries, collectives or dealers, have been invited to exhibit contemporary artwork priced below R40 000.
Visitors will also be able to take part in the free, daily, interactive Talks programme sponsored by Artinsure. ‘Our Talks programme is always a highlight for those attending the Fair, as it gives our visitors an opportunity to learn more about the art world in South Africa. Meet some of the great influencers in the world of art, collecting and design, as well as some of the respected artists we have in South Africa and the Turbine Art Fair,’ adds Hyslop.
Turbine Art Fair is not just an art fair but also a lifestyle event! A fabulous showcase of the emerging African talent we have and a great way to start collecting art in a unique and undaunting way, bringing the best galleries and artists under one roof. Enjoy great food by The Forum Company, live music, meet new and interesting people and children can enjoy an art and play area hosted by Staedtler. All in all, a great day out in Jozi!
Other highlights at TAF16 include: winner of the TASA (TAF and Sylt Emerging Artists Residency Award) for 2015, Sarah Biggs, who will exhibit her work, inspired by her residency on Sylt Island. TAF16 is delighted to partner with the Sylt Foundation’s generous residency project, which allows an artist the luxury of space, time and artistic freedom. This residency is awarded annually to an emerging artist living in South Africa as part of the Turbine Art Fair and the Sylt Foundation’s Residency Programme.
The TASA 2016 prize will be officially presented during the Turbine Art Fair with a series of interesting art installations to be showcased around the venue. These installations will be curated by Suzie Copperthwaite and will showcase some of the exciting talent we have in this art form in South Africa. TAF16 will also see the return of two exciting exhibitions: Fresh Produce and Emerging Painters: The Graduate Show.
This year’s exhibiting artists for Fresh Produce are a larger group compared to the TAF15 showcase. The showcase is aimed at creating an opportunity for the selected artists, young and emerging African talent, to participate and showcase at a global stage. Featured artists include Lindokuhle Sobekwa (Photography) and Itumeleng Kunene (Drawing) and Sakhile Cebekhulu (Painting), among 15 others. Co-Director of Eyethu Gallery, Rolihlahla Mhlanga, curated the exhibition.
Assemblage, in collaboration with VANSA and Turbine Art Fair, will be running a six-month intensive workshop programme that integrates practical art-making and professional practice training. The aim is to provide the artists with a comprehensive programme that encompasses the necessary tools to help build and sustain a career in the industry. The ultimate outcome is to strengthen the artists’ work as a whole by providing those who participate not only a guide through the development of their work but, very importantly, the tools in order to put their career into action within the industry.
The preparations for the exhibition began in February 2016, with artists signing up for the ‘Artists Career Development Course’, facilitated by Assemblage in Newtown. The course is guided by a mentorship programme involving mentors David Koloane, Anthea Moys, Usha Seejarim and Frances Goodman, who will assist in overseeing the development of the artists’ final work for the Turbine Art Fair, as well as to encourage the artists’ growth with regards to professional practice.
Curated by artist and Senior Lecturer and Head of the Painting Section at the Fine Art Department of Rhodes University, Tanya Poole, Emerging Painters: The Graduate Show returns for a second year after a sell-out success at TAF15 and is curated especially for the Turbine Art Fair. The exhibition performs the role of both following the progress of some of the artists who featured in Emerging Painters 2015 (curated by Hentie van der Merwe) and showcasing new emerging artists. These artists are drawn from the Fine Art Departments of South African universities and are either currently engaged in painting practice as students or are recent graduates.
With the current international resurgence of interest in painting, as well as the focus of the art world on contemporary emerging African talent, this is a particularly dynamic and vital time for emerging painters in South and Southern Africa, and this exhibition attempts to track some of the conceptual concerns and aesthetic trajectories apparent in the practice right now. For new collectors, this is an ideal opportunity to invest in this future generation of painters.
Following on from the enormous success of the JAG’s (Johannesburg Art Gallery) exhibition of their collection of multiples at TAF15, this year’s JAG exhibition, in association with Strauss & Co and Artinsure, will showcase a juxtaposition of the works of Rembrandt and Diane Victor – one of South Africa’s most respected contemporary artists.
TAF16 presents a wonderful opportunity for Strauss & Co to showcase a selection of works from its online-only auction, which will run from 8 to 18 July 2016. The auction will include a wide variety of works, largely by South Africa’s most-loved modern and contemporary artists. ‘TAF16 is the perfect forum for art enthusiasts to see some of the works from Strauss & Co’s online-only auction in the flesh,’ says Susie Goodman, General Manager (JHB), Strauss & Co.
All images are courtesy of the Turbine Art Fair.
