Mapping out Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025

Table of Contents

The Investec Cape Town Art Fair returns for its eagerly awaited 12th edition with an expanded curatorial scope that promises to set a new benchmark in African and global contemporary art. This year’s art fair is divided into 10 sections, each promising to offer a unique perspective on art, curated all in one place. From thought-provoking solo exhibitions to a celebration of intergenerational narratives, Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025 brings together a dynamic blend of established artists, emerging talents, and cutting-edge collectives. Whether exploring innovative works from first-time exhibitors or delving into the visionary practices of seasoned galleries, let’s take a look at what visitors can expect from Africa’s largest art fair.

Charlene Komuntale, Threads of Persistence, 2024

MAIN

The Main Section lies at the core of this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair — showcasing presentations of contemporary art by galleries from around the globe. This section is the largest section of the fair, bringing together an array of different styles, mediums, galleries and Weltanschauungs all in one place to showcase the variety and the many different artistic expressions. From the returning galleries like Stevenson (Cape Town, Johannesburg, South Africa and Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Goodman Gallery (Johannesburg, Cape Town, South Africa, London, UK and New York, USA) to brand new ones exhibiting for the first time like Gallery Nosco (Brussels, Belgium) and Anna Laudel (Bodrum and Istanbul, Turkey, Düsseldorf, Germany) — this section promises to be a kaleidoscope of international and local talent.

Joy Adeboye

TOMORROWS/TODAY

Curated by Dr Mariella Franzoni, a contemporary art expert, advisor, curator and writer, Tomorrows/Today is a curated section providing a platform for emerging and underrepresented artists, acting as a forecast for future relevant practices and ideas. Returning for her third year in curating this section, Franzoni brings a world of experience to the art fair, operating in the field of contemporary art transversally, between academic research and professional practice, in collaboration with international art galleries, festivals, museums and art businesses. The Tomorrows/Today Cash Prize will be awarded by a panel of art professionals to the artist with the highest quality presentation.

Participating galleries include: The Over (Barcelona, Spain), Galerie Caroline O’Breen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Blue Wind Project (Tunis Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia), Goodman Gallery (Johannesburg, Cape Town, South Africa, London, UK and New York, USA), AMG Projects (Lagos, Nigeria), BKhz (Johannesburg, South Africa), SMAC Gallery (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch, South Africa), Reiners Contemporary Art (Marbella, Spain), Spiaggia Libera (Paris, France), Eclectica Contemporary (Cape Town, South Africa),
Everard Read (Cape Town, Franschhoek, Johannesburg, South Africa and London, UK) and tHEIR (London, United Kingdom).

Ange Dakouo

SOLO

SOLO seeks to fully explore the artistic practices of artists working locally and abroad through curated solo presentations. The 2025 SOLO section invites 10 galleries from across the world to reflect on the theme: PLAYSCAPES: Shaping Worlds and Selves. Since the dawn of civilisation, play has been a fundamental aspect of human existence, serving not only as a form of leisure but also as an expression of creativity, social interaction, and cultural exploration. In the arts, play emerges as a subject that intersects with historical, sociological, and cultural dimensions. From prehistoric cave paintings that reveal early human engagement with play to the often humorous scenes depicted in ancient Greek pottery to the dreamlike imaginings of the Surrealists in the 20th century, many artists have dealt with play as a mode of expression and a philosophical approach.

WINDSOR GALLERY LAGOS, KRISTINE TSALA, LE DOUZIEME PASSEUR

Participating galleries include: 50 Golborne (London, United Kingdom), Berman Contemporary (Johannesburg, South Africa), AYN Gallery (Paris, France), Galerie Marion Chauvy (Paris, France), Hunna Art (Kuwait City, Kuwait), Jonathan Carver Moore (San Francisco, United States of America), LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery (Abidjan, Ivory Coast), SMAC Gallery (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch, South Africa), Southern Guild (Cape Town, South Africa), Windsor Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria).

EDITIONS

The Editions section showcases leading print galleries and workshops that specialise in prints, multiples, and editions. This section of the fair highlights the artistry and technical mastery involved in the creation of collectable prints, offering a platform for both established and emerging printmakers through a diverse range of works that demonstrate innovation in traditional techniques, such as lithography and etching, as well as contemporary digital processes.

Participating galleries include: 50ty50ty (Cape Town, South Africa), Artist Proof Studio (Johannesburg, South Africa), ArtThrob (Cape Town, South Africa), Dale Sargent Fine Art (Johannesburg, South Africa), Eleven Editions (Johannesburg, South Africa), Loft Editions (Cape Town, South Africa), Samuel Maenhoudt Gallery (Knokke-Heist, Belgium).

ONE HEAD IN SUN

GENERATIONS

Curated by Heba El Kaya — a writer and researcher from Cairo, Egypt who has worked in various art-related capacities, specialising in modern and contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa — Generations prioritises the necessity for artists to convene and collaborate across time and space, with awareness, respect, and camaraderie. This section welcomes artists who are known for disrupting traditional ideas and engaging with communities, places, or the world around them using fresh and relevant practices.

Participating galleries include: 16/16 (Lagos, Nigeria), AMG Projects (Lagos, Nigeria), Candice Berman Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa), Graham Contemporary (Johannesburg, South Africa), Malangatana Valente Ngwenya Foundation (Maputo, Mozambique), Riaan Bolt Antiques (Johannesburg, South Africa), Tam Gallery (Cairo, Egypt).

Yola Balanga

LOOKOUT

​​LOOKOUT is dedicated to alternative booth formats by nontraditional galleries that offer a fresh interpretation of the anti-booth. This section spotlights 12 trailblazing, emerging galleries, including the dynamic voices of Untitled and Locus. Making its debut appearance, Locus presents compelling works by Cathy Abrahams and Morné Visagie, whose practices engage with themes of materiality and memory. Untitled returns to the fair with a captivating showcase of Katherine Spindler, whose nuanced, emotive practice continues to push the boundaries of contemporary painting.

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adeoluwa oluwajoba, _alice and alice smoking in a cloudy sea_, 2022, acrylic, photo transfer and cyanotype print on canvas, 42 x 36 in
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Participating galleries include: 16 on Lerotholi (Cape Town, South Africa), artHARARE (Cape Town, South Africa), Borderlands Art (Kampala, Uganda), Demo Projects (Cape Town, South Africa), Lemkus Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa), Locus (Johannesburg, South Africa), Occupying The Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa), SOTO Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), The Art Affair, The Project Room (Windhoek, Namibia), Untitled (Cape Town, South Africa), Vault Research (Cape Town, South Africa).

CABINET/TROPHY

Curated by Exhibition Match (Alexander Richards and Phokeng Setai) this section invites 10 galleries from across the world to furnish the fair’s (trophy) cabinet with works that capture the broad essence of ‘Play’. Play has the power to transform audiences from passive onlookers into active participants, reconfiguring how space is experienced. This curatorial approach offers an open-ended, dynamic interaction between artworks and viewers. When entering an art fair, a visitor is immediately greeted by an energetic buzz, voluminous spaces and bright lights, mimicking the experience at a sporting event. Both are spaces where creativity, contest and commerce converge. In South Africa, the arts and sports share a ministry, highlighting their roles as cultural exports and nation-builders. Yet, these fields also reflect societal complexities around identity, gender, and sexuality.

Participating galleries include: Candice Berman Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa), Cellar Contemporary (Trento, Italy), EBONY/CURATED (Cape Town, Franschhoek, South Africa), Eclectica Contemporary (Cape Town, South Africa), Everard Read (Cape Town, Franschhoek, Johannesburg, South Africa and London, UK), Red Room Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa), Southern Guild (Cape Town, South Africa), The Melrose Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa), WALL (Cape Town, South Africa), WORLDART (Cape Town, South Africa).

Special Project: WALL

One of this year’s Special Projects features an exhibition by Wall — an established, modern gallery featuring innovative, contemporary artwork. Operating primarily in the secondary market, WALL presents exhibitions of exceptional images by South African artists who have succeeded in elaborating aesthetic languages that are innovative in approach to traditional and contemporary subject matter while remaining conscious of historical precedent.

Participating artists include: Christo Coetzee, Cecil Skotnes, Cinga Samson, Douglas Portway, Penny Siopis, Robert Hodgins, Sydney Kumalo, and Willem Boshoff
In addition to these large, curated sections at this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair, there will also be smaller sections such as ‘Magazines & Publications’ showcasing magazines, books, journals, and catalogues presented by publishers from around the world with a focus on art. There’s also a section entitled, ‘Connect,’ which presents the work of cultural institutions that nurture and support artistic production in the region through exhibitions and artist residencies. Lastly, ‘Past/Modern’ adds historical context to the fair through gallery-curated presentations of works of art by modern masters.