ARTAFRICAIt is from these convictions that THAT ART FAIR has grown. As Boeta Phyf, one of the exhibiting
artists at the fair, so succinctly stated, “First of all, the size of THAT ART FAIR is pretty bombastic.
I don’t think there’s much that compares to it in South Africa. The organisers are very passionate and
pretty much live and breathe and moonwalk the full-house gatsby [the famous multi-layered Cape
sandwich] that is THAT ART FAIR.”
From the get-go, this is the reaction that we have wanted to elicit. We remain grounded in the fact
that this is an important event because it creates opportunity and gives both established and emerging
artists a platform where they can gain exposure and meet new audiences and collectors alike.
THAT ART FAIR’s Invited Artist, Emo de Medeiros, also sums it up perfectly when he says “THAT
ART FAIR is a great initiative, it is a harbinger of the global art market’s future: it is both Pan-African
and global, it welcomes galleries and artists alike and embodies what ‘emergence’ stands for: bringing
innovative practices, thinking out the box and inventing new perspectives. I feel completely in sync
with this evolution, which could be a first step to a revolution in the art world.”
There is no doubt that Africa is calling for – and receiving – global attention and, while we don’t want
to bind ourselves to specific geographies, we feel there is great merit in presenting a fresh platform
for the entire continent. THAT ART FAIR is that platform, enabling African artists to stake their
claim in the global contemporary art world.
Brendon and Suzette Bell-Roberts
Founders, THAT ART FAIR,
Founders and Editors-in-Chief, ART AFRICA magazine
THE (NOT SO) SERIOUS BUSINESS OF ART / A MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDERS 2/22
FEATURE / THAT ART FAIR