FNB JoburgArtFair 2015: Details of Eighth Edition Announced

TThe annual FNB JoburgArtFair will return to Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre from 11 – 13 September 2015. The eighth edition of the Fair features over 50 exhibitors from seven countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Faye Mfikwe, FNB Chief Marketing Officer says “As a proudly South African bank with roots that extend into several other countries on the African continent and further afield, First National Bank (FNB) endeavours to sustain the support of art on our continent through the FNB JoburgArtFair, one of the largest and most established fairs on the continent.”

The FNB JoburgArtFair brings together artists, curators and collectors for the conceptual visioning of contemporary African art. This year, the Fair will feature curated exhibitions by some of the best contemporary galleries, alongside a programme of critically acclaimed Special Projects, Talks, Performances and Film Screenings.

Fair Curator, Lucy MacGarry, commented on the eighth edition “We want to continue to make a positive contribution to the local arts industry, while growing our representation of international African galleries. The focus this year, has been on encouraging galleries to bring experimental work and competitive presentations to the Fair.”

New online partner, Artsy will take the Fair to a global audience by hosting a dedicated preview and digital catalogue of FNB JoburgArtFair accessible via Artsy.net and the Artsy iPhone app. The preview will include browseable exhibitor booths, editorial content, and the opportunity for collectors to make direct sales inquiries on artworks directly through the site. Artsy's coverage of the fair will launch publicly on Tuesday, September 8, with an exclusive VIP preview on Monday, September 7.

We would also like to welcome our 2015 Advisory Committee members: Koyo Kouoh (RAW MATERIAL COMPANY, Dakar), Bisi Silva (Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos), Jay Pather (Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts, Cape Town), Karolina Ziebinska-Lewandowska (Centre Pompidou, Paris) and Zoe Whitley (TATE, London). This esteemed team of experts has provided strategic guidance for new programming at this year’s Fair.

Special Projects turns its focus to experimental film and live performance, presenting ambitious new work from a central theatre space. The full programme of film screenings, performances and talks will be announced at the official Media Launch on 12 August.

The Johannesburg Art Gallery, in partnership with Artlogic and Goodman Gallery, proudly present Candice Breitz as this year’s Featured Artist. Internationally acclaimed, Breitz combines the modes of film and performance in her installation Him + Her – marking its inaugural showing in South Africa. This work will be shown alongside a new project conceived especially for the Fair.

International film content will also feature courtesy of the Goethe-Institut, which has invited the prestigious Short Film Festival Oberhausen to South Africa. In addition, Loop Barcelona will screen their 2015 Discovery Award finalists’ works, while the artists of the Johannesburg Pavilion will debut new work created in-situ during the 56th Venice Biennale. In partnership with the 133 Arts Foundation and with the support of the City of Joburg, the Johannesburg Pavilion is a new programme that aims to facilitate the exposure of African artists abroad. Our live performance programme ranges from emerging South African artists such as Kieron Jina to the internationally acclaimed Mamela Nyamza and Nelisiwe Xaba. Benjamin Patterson, an American musician, artist and one of the founders of the Fluxus movement will also be making a rare appearance.

This year’s FNB Art Prize, which awards a young artist the financial means and opportunity to create a new project for the Fair, was juried by eminent African curators Koyo Kouoh (Senegal) and Bisi Silva (Nigeria). South African artist Turiya Magadlela (born 1978) takes the honours this year and will present a large-scale installation comprising a grid of steel institutional beds arranged in a cell-like constellation, made over in correctional service fabrics. The installation entitled, Imihuzuko takes a unique look at the state of our prisons and brings into sharp focus the realities of present-day incarceration.

Highlights on the Talks programme include the panel ‘Collecting the Intangible: New Strategies for Acquisition’, to be led by A4 Art Foundation Curator, Joshua Ginsburg. Featured Artist Candice Breitz, will engage in conversation with the Tate’s Curator of International Art, Zoe Whitley. Art Basel’s 2016 Parcours Curator, Samuel Leuenberger, will present ‘Curatorial Experiments and the Development of Ideas’, while the infamous publisher, Gerhard Steidl will explain why ‘Print is not Dead’.

Artlogic has collaborated with interior architect firm, Studium to re-envision the layout of the Fair. Our food and drink area will have the feel of a market and will incorporate collaborative projects such as the Absolut Vodka Art Bar designed by South African artist Cameron Platter. Our new FNB Private Wealth VIP Lounge will be the go-to destination, boasting a curated exhibition of African Modernists courtesy of the Avedia Foundation.

The VIP Lounge is complemented by a full VIP programme hosted on and off-site by Egon Zehnder. Coveted events on Saturday the 12th September include a VIP Gala Cocktail Evening at the Fair hosted by Artlogic, Egon Zehnder, Orange Babies and the Click Foundation as well as the official Art Party at Alexander Theatre, Braamfontein.

FNB JoburgArtFair takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Exhibition Hall 1 161 Maude Street, Sandton.

Dates: 11 – 13 September 2015.

Opening times: 

• Friday, 11 September: 12pm – 8pm 
• Saturday, 12 September: 10am – 6pm 
• Sunday, 13 September: 10am – 5pm 

For more information, please visit: www.joburgartfair.co.za

Press contact: Liani Douglas communication – FNB Joburg Art Fair

email: liani@artlogic.co.za 

Tel: +27 (0)11 447 38 68

2015 Exhibitors 

Participating galleries, some new, many returning, include local favourites – Goodman Gallery, Stevenson, WHATIFTHEWORLD, SMAC Gallery and Everard Read, together with London-based Tiwani Contemporary; La New Gallery from Madrid; First Floor Gallery, Harare and Omenka Gallery, Lagos. The ‘Young Galleries’ section is dedicated to galleries founded in or after 2012.

These galleries include the Kalashnikovv and Eyethu Galleries from Joburg; SMITH from Cape Town and Sulger-Buel Lovell from London. The ‘Art Platforms’ section provides not-for-profit arts entities an opportunity to participate and for the first time we have a ‘Limited Editions’ section dedicated to printmaking studios and galleries. In another new initiative, we introduce ‘Gallery Solo Projects’ in which a select number of galleries will present curated solo exhibitions specially conceived for the Fair.

For a full list of exhibitors visit www.fnbjoburgartfair.co.za 

About Art Logic

Artlogic is a sponsorship and events company that specialises in high-end, boutique Fairs. Together with corporate sponsors, they produce several annual Fairs that have come to be regarded as key events in their sector. Founded in 2004 by Ross Douglas. Currently, Artlogic produces the FNB JoburgArtFair, the Sanlam Handmade ContemporaryFair, the Standard Bank Africa Cycle Fair and the Winter Sculpture Fair.

The company has had major success in researching trends and packaging those to their sponsors to ensure a good brand fit. By acting as a conduit between business and cultural entities, Artlogic aims to open up new markets and cultural audiences beyond the reach of traditional marketing tools.

About First National Bank

First National Bank (FNB) remains committed to the support of arts and culture as it celebrates all that contemporary art represents. FNB have been the proud sponsors of the FNB Joburg Art Fair for the past eight years and has always been passionate about African art because we recognise that artistic expression involves creativity and imagination, which we know to be key drivers of innovation. In 2011 we introduced the coveted FNB Art Prize.

We hope this prize will help reinforce our endorsement of the artist’s valued contribution to our diverse cultural fabric. As a financial institution, FNB provides a full complement of personal and business banking services to millions of customers across in Africa and India.

About Artsy

Artsy is the leading resource for learning about and collecting art from over 3,000 leading galleries, 450 museum and institutional partners, 40 international art fairs and select auctions. Artsy provides free access via its website (Artsy.net) and iPhone app to 250,000 images of art and architecture by 40,000 artists, comprising the world’s largest online database of contemporary art.

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