RMB Turbine Art Fair (RMB TAF) is a unique South African art collaboration that brings together galleries and artists from around the country to present and sell works. The event will be held from 12 – 14 July with a preview evening on 11 July. The seventh edition of the Fair has been moved to a new and bigger venue – 10 Fricker Road, Illovo.
RMB TAF is an all-encompassing cultural experience for visitors, with artisanal food and beverages, vibrant entertainment and an interactive public programme. It differentiates itself from other South African art fairs through its accessible pricing strategy. The selling price of artworks generally falls between R1 000 and R50 000, which presents opportunities for savvy investors and new buyers to extend their collections easily, and for new artists to thrive off this talent platform.
RMB TAF will present a series of special projects for visitors to view during the 2019 Fair as well as a multidisciplinary public programme curated by Kefiloe Siwisa and Nomvuyo Horwitz, called The Year of the Mirror, which will include performance art, music, screenings, masterclasses, a children’s programme and a talks and walkabout series sponsored by RMB Private Bank.
Strauss & Co will present A Meeting of Minds: Louis Khehla Maqhubela and Douglas Portway, following on from the successful museum-quality exhibitions Anton Taljaard: Pierneef, A Collector’s Passion (2017) and Life Force: The Still Lifes of Irma Stern (2018) at RMB TAF.
Also returning to the Fair, is RMB Talent Unlocked. Started in 2014 for the second edition of TAF under the name ‘Fresh Produce’, RMB Talent Unlocked is a six-week mentorship programme and exhibition that provides a vital platform for young, upcoming artists. The objective of this comprehensive programme is to provide the selected participants with support and guidance to develop their work and, importantly, to equip them with the tools necessary to sustain their art career once the programme is completed. It’s also an extension of the long-standing relationship that RMB has had with the arts in South Africa and is realised through a four-way partnership between Assemblage, RMB, TAF and the Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA).
Last year’s Talent Unlocked exhibition comprised 18 emerging artists showcasing their work at RMB TAF following a six-month intensive workshop and mentorship programme that included learning about project management, career sustainability, how to market themselves and their work, and more.
This year’s workshop programme once again sees a host of talented emerging artists exhibiting at a booth curated by Fulufhelo Mobadi at RMB TAF.
‘The purpose of Turbine Art Fair is to develop young artists and grow the market for African art,’ explains Glynis Hyslop, founder of TAF and MD of The Forum Company. ‘RMB shares our vision and this partnership will help to elevate art collecting across a wider market, strengthening the greater creative economy.’
The Market Photo Workshop will exhibit work by some of its alumni. As a school of photography, a gallery, and a project space, the Market Photo Workshop has played a pivotal role in the training of South Africa’s photographers, ensuring that visual literacy reaches neglected and marginalised parts of our society. Since it was founded in 1989 by world-renowned photographer David Goldblatt, the Market Photo Workshop has been an agent of change and representation, informing photographers, visual artists, educators, students and broader communities of trends, issues and debates in photography and visual culture.
Visitors will have the opportunity to view an exclusive exhibition of the work of Dumisani Mabaso. As an artist and printmaker, Mabaso’s life and work are inextricably linked to the history of South African art. He was introduced to printmaking by his father who worked at a printing press and took his first art classes at the age of 13. He was fortunate to have had training at the Rorke’s Drift Art and Craft Centre in KwaZulu-Natal when access to fine arts was largely denied to black communities. There, he learnt weaving skills and printmaking, which have formed an important part of our cultural heritage. Mabaso went on to teach and work at the Johannesburg Art Foundation, which was managed by Bill Ainslie, was founded to encourage expressionism in art, and was where many of South Africa’s greatest artists started their careers.
The hope is that this retrospective gives Mabaso the exposure he still deserves and emphasises the importance of the role he played in South African art. His colleagues and friends will never forget this quiet and gentle man who showed so much strength in his commitment to expressing his feelings and sharing ideas through colour, texture and form. May he remain an inspiration for many years to come.
The Graduate Exhibition, curated by Kefiloe Siwisa in collaboration with Maja Marx, returns for the fifth year and always draws huge attention from those who attend the Fair. Visitors can expect to see the exciting work of graduates who have been handpicked from across South Africa. The Graduate Show presents a great opportunity to buy and start collecting some fabulous work of artists who are at the beginning of their artistic careers.
Installations have always been an exciting part of the RMB TAF and 2019 will be no exception. The new space lends itself perfectly to installations and visitors will see the likes of Nkhensani Rihlampfu, presented by M Studio Community, and Jake Singer.
There will also be an exhibition by the Gerard Sekoto Foundation.
For more info, visit: www.turbineartfair.co.za
Dates: 12 – 14 July 2019
Venue: 10 Fricker Road, Illovo, Johannesburg
Tickets: R120 via Webtickets or R150 at door
Weekend pass: R250 via webtickets or R300 at door
Children: R100 (4 years & older, includes access to children’s arts area and children’s walkabout on a first come, first served basis)
Students & Pensioners: R100 at door and R80 via Webtickets (Friday only)
VIP opening night (11 July): R750 via Webtickets only
To keep up-to-date with the latest arts and culture news in South Africa, purchase the July 2019 issue of Creative Feel or subscribe to our monthly magazine from only R180.00 to R365.00 per year! SUBSCRIBE HERE!
HERE ARE SOME MORE POSTS ABOUT THIS YEAR’S RMB TURBINE ART FAIR:
The art of staying still (Art journalist Dave Mann chats to #TAF19 exhibitor Jake Singer in his studio)
