Welcome to the Mother City. Crowned as the number one food destination in the world by the 2024 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards, Cape Town has also surpassed Spain as the city with the most Airbnb’s, making it the most desirable travel destination in the world. Whether you’re having sundowners at Open Wine, brunch at Our Local or dinner at The Nines, you’re likely to hear many accents and languages and see all colours (races, hair, and dress that is). Cape Town has gone from being South Africa’s ‘slow, urban city’ to the top spot for digital nomads, travellers, and tourists, and this February, the finest in the art world will once again descend on the city for the 12th annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF).
From 21 to 23 February, collectors, galleries, artists, and art enthusiasts descend on the tip of Africa to take part in one of the most prestigious and significant fairs on the art world calendar. “It’s been a pleasure to watch the growth of the fair and to play a part in bringing ‘Africa to the world, and the world to Africa’,” says Peta Dixon, Investec head of sponsorships, which has been a title sponsor for eight of the fair’s 12-year run. With an estimated 25 000 visitors, 6 500 VIPs from around the globe, 500 artists, and 106 exhibitors, the ICTAF is Africa’s biggest art fair. According to fair director, Laura Vincenti, “The 2025 edition of the ICTAF is our most ambitious yet. We’re proud to be the largest and leading international art fair on the African continent, and we continue to innovate and challenge the boundaries of what an art fair can be.”
The theme of the fair, PLAY, serves as a guiding influence for ICTAF’s curated sections, encouraging artists, curators, and guests to explore informal experimentation and the joy of discovery. It aims to foster an environment where play acts as a transformative catalyst for exploration and meaningful dialogue. “PLAY, in this context, is much more than childlike fun. It is about action, curiosity, and the inherent human desire to create. The limitless potential of art to surprise, challenge, and engage. It’s also about playing a role – seeing art as an active tool to shape culture and values to provoke new ways of thinking. Our hope is that both artists and audiences step into spaces where the unexpected can happen, where play catalyses change and, importantly, delights,” explains Laura, who’s been the fair’s director since 2017.
by Zanele Muholi
As she elaborates, “We’ve worked hard to carefully curate an experience that showcases the depth of talent across the globe, bringing the world’s best contemporary art under one roof in South Africa. We’re also joined by an exceptional selection of curators: Dr Mariella Franzoni, Céline Seror, Heba El Kayal, Alexander Richards and Dr Phokeng Setai of Exhibition Match, as well as Julia Buchanan. This fair is a reflection of their collective effort and passion”.
“‘PLAY/GROUND: Between whimsy and profundity’, the sub-theme for the SOLO section, aims to explore the diverse ways in which contemporary artists engage with the subject of play through whimsical experimentation, imaginative inquiry and profound exploration,” shares the SOLO curator, Céline Seror. SOLO-featured artists include SMAC-represented Frances Goodman and Southern Guild’s Stanislaw Trzebinski.
Trevyn McGowan, CEO and co-founder of Cape Town-based Southern Guild, one of the featured galleries, says, “Having just celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of our Los Angeles gallery, we have noted an increase in our collectors’ plans to visit Cape Town and interact personally with our artists, and ICTAF is the opportune moment for an arts-driven venture into the city.” This year, the fair features 30 new exhibitors, with galleries from Barcelona, Berlin, Cairo, Istanbul, Kampala, Kuwait City, Lagos, London, Luanda, Maputo, Modica, Paris, and Windhoek.
— Blob by Yolanda Mazwana (pictured right)
Johannesburg’s Kalashnikovv gallery will feature some of its finest artists, including last year’s Tomorrows/Today prize winner, Boemo Diale, as well as Mbali Tshabalala and the late Alfred Thoba, amongst others. Zanele Kumalo, associate director at Kalashnikovv, which opened a second office in Cape Town in May last year, says the ICTAF is a must for any major gallery in the country and on the continent. “Rather than asking our artists to create specific works for the theme PLAY, the team has selected works that respond to it. Our booth curation includes topics that explore leisure, colour, nostalgia, fantasy, surrealism, and liberation,” says Zanele.
‘Utopian Playground’isthe sub-theme for the Tomorrows/Today section, which has always been a platform for emerging talent. “While play is widely used as an educational tool, we envision it as a practice of unlearning the rules of the game, challenging systems of power, and fostering the creation of new worlds through imagination. Playgrounds are places where imagination runs wild and where bodies and minds are fully engaged in activities that foster socialisation, excitement, wonder, and the making of new communities,” explains Tomorrows/Today’s curator, Dr Mariella Franzoni.
With 2024 having been a shapeshifting year for everything from politics to celebrity scandals, and 2025 kicking off with devastating fires in Los Angeles and Donald Trump’s historic re-entry into office, the artists and galleries have plenty of subject matter to unpack. “Artists are using play as a way to engage with the serious issues of our time, making the conversation around these topics more accessible, dynamic, and at times even humorous. It’s this balance of gravity and levity that creates space for reflection and dialogue, and we are thrilled to be a platform for these essential conversations,” says Laura.
ICTAF 2025: Celebrating the Power of Play
- (Trophy) Cabinet – Curators: Alexander Richards and Phokeng Setai
This section invites 10 international galleries to transform the idea of a trophy cabinet into a dynamic space that captures the essence of play. Reflecting the energy of a sporting event, it highlights how creativity, identity, and societal complexities intersect within art and sport, both vital cultural exports and nation-builders in South Africa. - Tomorrows/Today – Curator: Dr Mariella Franzoni
Dedicated to emerging and underrepresented artists, this section provides a glimpse into future artistic trends. It culminates in the Tomorrows/Today Cash Prize, awarded to the artist with the most compelling presentation, as selected by a panel of esteemed art professionals. - SOLO – Curator: Céline Seror
Exploring the theme “PLAYSCAPES: Shaping Worlds and Selves,” this section brings together works from 10 global galleries. It examines play as a creative and cultural force throughout history, from ancient art to modern surrealism, demonstrating its enduring relevance. - Generations – Curator: Heba El Kaya
This section emphasises collaboration across time and space, celebrating artists who challenge traditions and engage deeply with their surroundings. It explores how adults lose the innate fluency of play, reflecting on the role of playfulness in fostering meaningful engagement with the world.
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair takes place from 21 to 23 February 2025 at the Cape Town Convention Centre.
