Explore Emerging Trends & Transformative Works – Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025

by | Feb 5, 2025 | Arts & Culture, News | 0 comments

2025 - an exciting year that promises to shape the future of global creative expression!

Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025 offers you the opportunity to explore emerging trends and transformative works at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 21 to 23 February.

As the art world shifts into 2025, an exciting year that promises to shape the future of global creative expression, trends are emerging that highlight the intersection of innovation, sustainability and technology. The rise of digital art, alongside an increased focus on diverse narratives and environmental responsibility, signals a crucial new wave of artistic exploration.

This year, artists were invited to create works within the framework of the curator, Dr Mariella Franzoni‘s ‘Experience, Attempt, Experiment’. This has resulted in an impressive array of textile work, photography and paintings. The twelve artists exhibiting in Tomorrows/Today section represent a diverse range of contemporary practices that reflect current global art trends rooted in identity, socio-political commentary, and cultural exchange.

Tomorrows/Today was started as a special project at the fair in 2016 and features talent from across the globe. This expertly curated space embodies the forward-thinking spirit of contemporary art. The selected artists not only reflect the latest trends in artistic practice but also challenge traditional boundaries, offering audiences an exciting glimpse into the future of art, culture, and society.

Dr Mariella Franzoni will be curating Tomorrows/Today for the third time. A contemporary art curator who lives and works between Spain, Italy and South Africa, Franzoni has chosen not to adhere to a strict curatorial theme but instead embraced ICTAF 2025’s wider theme of PLAY as an integral part of the curatorial and artistic process.

“The Tomorrows/Today section at Investec Cape Town Art Fair is a space for forecasting the leading names of the future. But it’s also a platform for amplifying the voices, ideas, and themes that are already emerging among these artists. Looking at what emerging artists are doing today offers us a glimpse into the practices, themes, and modes of working that will define the future art scene.” Dr Mariella Franzoni, Curator

Franzoni continues, “Tomorrows/Today brings together South African artists with artists from around the world, creating a space for rich dialogue and unexpected encounters. When this happens, magic materialises.” According to Franzoni, Tomorrows/Today remains the most international section of the fair and this dynamic intersection of local and global perspectives is what makes it so exciting for her.

An added highlight of Tomorrows/Today is its cash prize of R80 000, sponsored by Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa, and awarded by a panel of art professionals to the participating artist with the highest quality presentation during the fair. Wim Pijbes, Netherlands (Art Historian), Azu Nwagbogu, Nigeria (Curator) and Gabriel Virgilio Luciani, USA (Curator) have been announced as this years’ jury. Previous winners of the prize are Boemo Diale (2024, Kalashnikovv Gallery), Talia Ramkilawan (2023, BKhz) and Michaela Younge (2022, SMAC Gallery).

There will also be two other prizes awarded at Investec Cape Town Art Fair. They are the RDC Art Collection Prize which is awarded to an artist that aligns with the property group’s values and goals- offering them a platform to be exhibited in a prominent landmark building in their portfolio. As well as the inaugural Investec Emerging Artist Award which celebrates a homegrown, world-class South African artist working in any medium, who is not yet affiliated with an institution, museum, or collection. The award aims to support emerging talent on the global stage.

SOLO, Generations and Cabinet/Trophy: Two additional curated and a special project boundary-pushing spaces at this year’s fair

Continuing with its commitment to thoughtful curation and up-to-the-minute global and local art trends, Investec Cape Town Art Fair will have three additional curated sections. Titled SOLO, Generations and Cabinet/Trophy, these spaces will showcase innovative approaches, methods, a range of voices and stories emphasising the importance of artistic exploration.

SOLO, curated by French art consultant and creator, Céline Seror explores the diverse ways that contemporary artists engage with and play through whimsical experimentation, imaginative inquiry and exploration. Play is an essential part of human existence and with this in mind, ten artists from across the globe have been asked to reflect on the theme “PLAYSCAPES: Shaping Worlds and Selves”.

Generations: PLAY/PLAY-ING is curated by Egyptian writer, researcher, and curator Heba El Kayal. This section celebrates artists at different stages in their careers and work and encourages dynamic cross-generational conversations between them. Selected galleries will convene, collaborate, and explore the notions of play, both literal and abstract.

Special project Cabinet/Trophy is curated by Exhibition Match (a collaboration between Alexander Richards and Dr Phokeng Setai) and invites eleven galleries from around the world to fill a (Trophy) Cabinet with works that capture the essence of this unique project and social experiment explores the relationship and similarities between art and sport. Winning a trophy in sport generally denotes success yet the term can also represent a static symbol of the past. To combat this idea, Cabinet/Trophy will host varying types of trophies in a field of play and invite open-ended and dynamic interaction between the artworks and spectators.

  • LOTS to tell you about in the weeks leading up to the Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025. So watch this space. And be sure to have a copy of the 2025 Art Craft + Museums Map to help you find your way to the art scene in the Mother City and surrounds.

WHAT: Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025
WHERE: Cape Town International Conference Centre, Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town, 8001
WHEN: 21 to 23 February 2025
TICKETS: Webtickets
INFO: Visit | follow Investec Cape Town Art Fair on Instagram @investeccapetownartfair |  Facebook @ICTArtFair. | Hashtags #InvestecCapeTownArtFair #ICTAF2025

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