By Carol Brown
Do not miss it: 2nd – 4th September at the Sandton Convention Centre Joburg
“We are thrilled to be back with an in-person fair in 2022 while also expanding our culture footprint with 15 plus days of dynamic culture programming through Open City. As the first and longist running contemporary art fair on the continent, FNB Art Joburg continues to show active commitment to the arts and showcasing the dynamic talent that Joburg, South Africa and the continent has to offer”. Mandla Sibeko
Wow! What a line up. After 2 years of absence the Fair organisers have excelled themselves in presenting an amazing extensive programme.
It is no doubt that this art event is the most exciting in Joburg’s year attracting national and international visitors to the city.
This year the show has been curated into six specialised sections with the intriguing titles:
HUB, MAX, ETC, ORG, LAB and AUX.
HUB: presents the best in contemporary art from across the continent in line with the objective to be a quality rather than quantity focused fair – Afriart Gallery, blank projects, Eclectica Contemporary, Everard Read, First Floor Gallery Harare, Gallery MOMO, Goodman Gallery, Guns & Rain, Kalashnikovv, SMAC Gallery, Stevenson, and WHATIFTHEWORLD.
MAX: installations or works with challenging scale
ETC: will give fair goers the opportunity to engage with master print and publishing houses.
ORG: is a representation of Johannesburg’s seminal art institutions. Whether museums, universities, or private institutions, it aims to redefine how people engage with organisations that were established for the good of the public.
AUX: talks, public lectures and audio essays- a plethora of topics including magic realism as practice, biennale reflections, the role of arts writing, and art’s place in the metaverse.
LAB: An incubation to develop emerging galleries and hybrid art spaces, it will present and test new ideas and business models aimed at transforming the contemporary African art landscape. the LAB pavilion will see West and East Africa connecting with the Sub-Saharan African region. Exhibitors featured in gallery LAB include Bubblegum Club, Church Projects, Citizen Projects, Ebony Curated, Ora Loapi, Pacers Gallery, Modzi Art Gallery, Saint George Projects, Suburbia Contemporary and Village Unhu.
OPEN CITY: This programme will open up the city with a 15+ days programme of art, music, performance, food, and fashion across the city. Together with the three-day fair.