ARTAFRICAFEATURE / THAT ART FAIRTHAT ART FAIR / FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL GALLERIES 17/22
Yours is one of the featured international
galleries at THAT ART FAIR. What drew
you to this platform in particular?
LAB ART&CO:
What attracted me to THAT ART
FAIR is the philosophy behind
the event. THAT ART FAIR’s
flexibility and its relationship to
the ART AFRICA brand have
been one of the most appealing
points, so there really was no
reason not to join this initiative.
Lab Art&Co is new: it is the first
platform for contemporary art
in Angola where a big part of
the industry includes art fairs –
participation is essential. And of
course, we also believe in Cape
Town’s art scene.
AFRIART:
For a long time I have been
trying to find the right platform
to launch Afriart’s artists
internationally. I wanted that
platform to be friendly and on
the African continent – and I
found THAT ART FAIR to
be just that. I feel that their
approach, which focuses on
lesser-known galleries on the
continent, is more inviting and
their communication genuinely
personal. This, and the fact that
the founders are established in
the South African art industry,
makes it feel like a more
comfortable place to be.
ARTCO:ARTCO has been exhibiting at
South African art fairs for the
past eight years. The art market
in this country is very well
developed and remains the most
important one on the continent.
Aside from the two established
events, FNB JoburgArtFair and
Cape Town Art Fair, South
Africa needs an additional
platform for talented young
artists. THAT ART FAIR has a
chance to become a place where
collectors can discover up-and-
coming talent, as long as the
founders follow this direction
and select the their artists based
on quality, We would like to
support the intentions of the
fair and participate this year,
for the first time. ARTCO will
present a selection of highly
talented young artists from our
gallery programme, such as the
photographer Justin Dingwall
from Johannesburg, the painter
Daniela Yohannes from Paris,
Satadru Sovan Banduri from
India who draws and uses
objects and the Polish photo
artist Marcin Owczarek.MOJO:From the very beginning, we have
had a strong connection with
and interest in contemporary art
forms and artists from Africa.
We are constantly looking to
discover talent (both emerging
and established), but, given the
vastness of the continent and
the lack of formal structures, it
can be fairly random.We are hoping that through our
participation at THAT ART
FAIR we can meet artists directly
and tap into a network of like-
minded individuals involved
in the contemporary African
art scene. Plus we see it as an
opportunity to start showcasing
the artists that we work with
from Arabic-speaking North
African countries such as Egypt
and Morocco.ARTAFRICA