A new player in the art and design industry is quickly catapulting its influence towards the inner circles of design enthusiasts worldwide. The city of Cape Town, South Africa enters the design scene with blazing creativity brought about by a flood of young artists driven to make a name in the design field. Since becoming one of the few cities in the world to be given the World Design Capital distinction and hosting its 2014 event that introduced over 460 design projects aimed at city development, Cape Town Design scene in the city cemented its status as a melting pot of artists and designers in the planet.
In 2015, another annual art event called Design Indaba takes place at Cape Town. Buoyed by the media coverage bought by the World Design Capital staging, this year’s Design Indaba event has caused massive hype and anticipation among the art crowd not only from Cape Town but the rest of the world. Showcasing the high-end design of home grown talents and bringing together all imaginative artists from diverse background under one roof, best typifies Cape Town’s readiness in holding more art and design showcases in the future.
Cape Town Design – A melting pot of artists and designers in the planet.
The art and design explosion that is happening in recent years in Cape Town is the product of a series of key art practices that not only caught the attention of local art aficionados but also manufactured ripples which are strong enough to invite the attention of curators, gallery owners, art collectors and art critics from all over the globe.
Art discussions nowadays will always mention Cape Town and South Africa’s integral role in continuing the growth of art and design in the African continent. Contributions from young imaginative art practitioners to the artistic and cultural climate of the country and its neighbouring nations will further inspire a new breed of artists belonging in the younger generation.
Artists such as Julia Rosa Clarke, Haroon Gunn Sallie, , Athi Patra-Ruga, Portia Malatjie and Husan and Hussein Essop are the current members of the young artists and curators who are passionate about presenting their critical thoughts and expressing their lingering notions of what it truly means to form this brand of exciting art from a post-Apartheid nation.
Hussein Essop, the recent recipient of the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist award, represents the growing talented individuals from Cape Town and the rest of South Africa who are being recognised in the world stage. Many other notable names belonging to this core group of the new generation of artists are steadily climbing the consciousness ladder of art enthusiasts all over the world. They ultimately; make up South Africa’s youthful exuberance and vast creative potential.
The main key art and design practices enveloping the creative minds of Cape Town residents relies heavily on a combination of visual arts, installation arts, performance arts and the ones that generally challenges the minds of the viewers by expressing depth and profoundness in their desired messages.
Since the education level has been increasing the past decades in South Africa, the fruition of this development is being felt in today’s art invasion of Cape Town and other cities. Cape Town Design Events, Art fairs and art exhibitions are opening left and right in the many galleries and art districts found all over Cape Town. This only indicates the growing interest of the locals to indulge in art as part of their recreational activities. The same thing can be said of tourists visiting the city, as more travellers are now including art districts and museums as part of their itinerary and list of things-to-do whenever they set foot in the city.
The metropolitan and hip settings of modern day Cape Town city best exemplifies the stunning growth and improvement of the design methods, from the trendy interiors to classical exteriors of various buildings and structures found all over the city.
This 2015 also marked the second coming of the Guild International Design Fair with its remarkable exhibition of collectable design that includes the works of the Haas Brothers and Stephen Burks. Fine artists such as Kendell Geers and Conrad Botes stretched the range of their portfolio into the design territory at Guild; important to note out tha the Cape Town Art Fair also conveyed the potential of fine art on top of the agenda with guest curator Roselee Goldberg of New York’s Performa. That Art Fair, another art event organized by the lofi underground also excitedly proclaims the start of an organic fringe economy, which the organizers wish to expand into the world of design in future editions.
Cape Town promotes diverse design visions from designers around the world
Collaborating arts is another fancy art practice that is making the rounds in Cape Town. Contemporary artists are all about sharing skills, creativity, designs and visions with fellow artists both South African and foreign designers. This makes it possible for the people in Cape Town to embrace and experience the diverse styles and artistic visions that such collaboration work always produces.
The time is right now to experience and enjoy the art and design scene in Cape Town. One will never only witness its art explosion, but also goes for the ride and live through the glory days that are definitely already happening right now. One of the well-known curators of performance art in the planet and New York based art historian and author, Rose Lee Goldberg told the audience during her Cape Town Art Fair speech
“I want to collaborate with some key New York galleries and bring them to Cape Town for future art fairs – what’s happening in South Africa is very exciting. Cape Town has already made its mark on the global art scene and the Cape Town Art Fair will grow in stature and influence. And, of course, in New York we always love to quote ‘the best of’ references … Cape Town can certainly claim to have the best location of any art fair in the world.”
Though the Cape Town Art Fair just concluded this March, an array of arts and design events and activities are pencilled year-round-long in Cape Town. One will never run out of interesting design and art events to attend, exhibitions to view in the charming, hip and cosmopolitan setting of Cape Town.
For starters who wanted to get acquainted with Cape Town’s design and art scene, can begin their introduction by attending the First Thursday Cape Town. This happens every first Thursday of every month, the city of Cape Town beams with life as countless galleries in the city showcases the cultural arts and new design methods that go on display until late at night.
So if you are a designer artist looking for a hub to further develop your skills and at the same time network or work with some of the best in the world, do experience the bustling Cape Town Design and Art scene, South Africa and maybe you will find your artistic place in this greatly interesting and creative city.
Of course, if you are a natural lover of design and the arts, this is the city to be. Cape Town is where you can just get lost in the beauty of creativity and the magic of the human mind, imagination, and perception.