This is when – for one weekend of every year – art becomes the focus of the city. And apart from a visual celebration of the work of over 600 artists, 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 lectures, discussions and interviews; an artisanal choice of delicious food and wine for visitors to enjoy between one gallery and the next; and of course, the obligatory champagne and wine bar alongside the FNB Private Wealth and FNB Private Clients Lounge.
“Our focus this year is celebration,” says FNB JoburgArtFair Director, Mandla Sibeko, “celebrating our galleries who have grown with the Fair, our artists who drive the discourse, our patrons who have unwaveringly supported us and our audience whose curiosity continues to inspire our delivery. Over the years, FNB JoburgArtFair has become a benchmark platform for Contemporary African Art and we look forward to continuing that tradition in our 10th edition this September.”
In 2008 at the first edition of FNB JoburgArtFair, Robin Rhode was chosen as the Fair's inaugural Featured Artist. To mark the span of a decade and to bring the celebration full circle, Rhode has once again been selected as the 2017 Featured Artist.
Rhode was born in 1976 in Cape Town and currently lives and works in Berlin. He has had major solo museum shows in NYC, Stockholm, Switzerland, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Columbus, London and Munich, as well as group shows in Vienna and Belgium and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
This year, Dr Zoe Whitely has been appointed as the 2017 Guest Curator of Special Projects. As Research Curator at Tate Modern in London – Whitely researches contemporary artists and art practices across the African continent and the African diaspora. She co-wrote Tate’s revised Africa acquisitions strategy and is co-curator of the Tate Modern's 2017 exhibition Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power (taking place from 12 July - 22 October 2017).
FNB JoburgArtFair takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Exhibition Hall 1, 161 Maude Street, Sandton.
Friday, 8 September – Sunday, 10 September
Opening times:
Friday, 8 September: 12pm – 8pm
Saturday, 9 September: 10am – 6pm
Sunday, 10 September: 10am – 5pm
For more information, please visit the JoburgArtFair website.
