Friday, July 5, 2019

RMB TURBINE ART FAIR – Think Art on the Move

RMB Turbine Art Fair (RMB TAF) is on the move to a new and bigger venue for the 7th edition of the Fair. RMB TAF, since its inception in 2013, has grown extensively year on year and 2019 will see the most substantial Fair yet in a new location – 10 Fricker Rd, Illovo from 12 – 14 July with a preview evening on 11 July.



“Our vision for TAF has always been to develop young artists and grow the market for African art and elevate art collecting across a wider market. South Africans have really embraced this Fair since the beginning and we are delighted to be moving to a bigger venue in 2019. Visitors will be able to view exciting installations, larger gallery spaces and a more conceptually curated Fair but in the relaxed enviroment that has always been the signature of Turbine Art Fair ” says Fair Founder, Glynis Hyslop.

Proudly partnered for a second year by RMB, TAF is a unique South African art collaboration that brings together galleries and artists from around the country to present and sell works. As a talent brand, RMB nurtures and celebrates creativity widely, making this partnership a natural extension of the Bank’s respect for the possibilities that creativity unleashes. Enabling access to the arts by supporting and exposing emerging artists, attracting diverse audiences and existing and new collectors, demonstrates RMB’s commitment to transforming lives through the growth of the creative economy.

“The RMB Turbine Art Fair thoughtfully extends the visual arts market in an environment that is dynamic, accessible and strongly African,” says Alison Badenhorst, Head of RMB Corporate Marketing. “Our own art collection is a tangible example of deliberately sharing the creative energy that art naturally inspires. Totaling 2000 works, the inclusiveness of RMB’s collection comes from it being sourced locally, thus communicating the shared African story”.



“The Forum Company is proud co-sponsor of RMB TAF. As leaders in the field of hosting and conceptualising events and pop-ups as well as creating timeless shared experiences through sustainability and innovative, iconic spaces we are hugely excited about being part of one of Johannesburg’s much-loved events – RMB Turbine Art Fair” adds Glynis Hyslop.

RMB TAF is not just an art fair but an all-encompassing cultural experience for visitors, with artisanal food and beverages and vibrant entertainment programme. It also differentiates itself from other South African art fairs through its accessible pricing strategy. The selling price of artworks generally falls between R1000 and R50 000, which presents opportunities to savvy investors and new buyers to extend their collections easily, and for new artists to thrive off this talent platform.

RMB Turbine Art Fair will present a series of special projects for visitors to view during the Fair as well as a multidisciplinary public programme curated by Kefiloe Siwisa and Nomvuyo Horwitz – titled “The Year of the mirror” which will include performance art, music, screenings, masterclasses and a children’s programme, talks and walkabout series sponsored by RMB Private Bank. The talks and walkbaouts are offerd to the public for free and on a first come first serve basis. The full list of talks, speakers panelists and talk times can be found on the website.



Daily walkabouts sponsored by RMB Private Bank with art specialists and cultural enthusiasts will be hosted on a first come first served basis. The full list of walkabouts will be on the website ahead of the Fair opening.

Children are not forgotten at RMB Turbine Art Fair. A Children’s Programme has been created and will be run by Imbali Visual Literacy Project, which includes children specific walkabouts held daily and will be lead by Alison Kearney.

Radio partner Kaya FM will be broadcasting live from the Fair on Saturday 13th July.

For more info: www.turbineartfair.co.za

Dates: 12 - 14 July 2019

Venue: 10 Fricker Rd Illovo, JHB

Tickets: R120 via Webtickets or R150 at door

Weekend pass: R250 via webtickets or R300 at door

Children R100: 4 years & older Includes access to children’s arts area and children’s walkabout on a first come first serve basis

Students & Pensioners: R100 at door and R80 via Webtickets (Friday only)

VIP opening night (11th July): R750 via Webtickets only and will include Performances by Gregory Maqoma (founder & executive director of Vuyani Dance Group) and Mabuta



FAIR HIGHLIGHTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS

· RMB Talent Unlocked is an emerging artist and curator mentorship program that started in 2014 under the name Fresh Produce. Assemblage, in collaboration with Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA) and RMB Turbine Art Fair, has coordinated a six-month intensive workshop programme funded by RMB for emerging artists that integrates practical art-making (focusing on process and conceptual development) with professional practice training. The objective of this comprehensive programme is to provide the selected participants with support and guidance to develop their work and, very importantly, with tools to sustain their art career once the programme is completed. Appropriate industry professionals are carefully selected to facilitate each workshop whilst sharing their knowledge and personal experience. The workshop programme culminates with a curated booth by Fulufhelo Mobadi at the RMB Turbine Art Fair. This is a unique opportunity for an emerging artist’s work to be viewed publicly at a prestigious event.

· A Meeting of Minds: Louis Khehla Maqhubela and Douglas Portway Presented by Strauss & Co

Strauss & Co is proud to present the third in a series of museum-quality exhibitions (2017: JH Pierneef; 2018: Irma Stern) at the RMB Turbine Art Fair focusing this year on two prominent South African artists whose work has a great synergy: Louis Khehla Maqhubela and Douglas Portway met for the first time in St Ives, Cornwell, in 1967, after Maqhubela won the prestigious Artist of Fame and Promise award at the Adler Fielding Gallery in Johannesburg, which included the prize of a trip to Europe. It was a meeting of great minds: they were artistic kindred spirits in the true sense of the term. Both were already highly successful artists in their own rights, albeit having had very different entry points to their careers. The meeting impacted both artists’ thinking and the manner in which they painted subsequently. The aim of this exhibition is to examine the intersection of the work of these two artists, looking at their art training and early influences, and how their styles developed after they met.

· Market Photo Workshop alumni exhibition - As a school of photography, a gallery, and a project space, the Market Photo Workshop has played a pivotal role in the training of South Africa’s photographers, ensuring that visual literacy reaches neglected and marginalised parts of our society. Since it was founded in 1989 by world-renowned photographer David Goldblatt, the Photo Workshop has been an agent of change and representation, informing photographers, visual artists, educators, students and broader communities of trends, issues and debates in photography and visual culture. Market Photo Workshop believes in progressive education that challenges traditional modes of thinking, continuously encouraging students to critically engage with the world around them.

· Dumisani Mabaso benefit exhibition - As an artist and printmaker, Dumisani’s life and work is inextricably linked to the history of South African Art. He was introduced to print making by his father who worked at a printing press and took his first art classes at the age of thirteen. He was fortunate to have had training at the Rorkes Drift Art Centre in KwaZulu Natal when access to fine arts was largely denied to black communities. It was here he learnt weaving skills and printmaking, which have formed an important part in our cultural heritage. Dumisani went on to teach and work at the Johannesburg Art foundation, managed by Bill Ainslie to encourage expressionsisn in art and where many of South Africa greatest artists started their careers.

We hope this retrospective will give Dumisani the exposure he still deserves and emphasize the importance of the role he played in South African Art. His colleagues and friends will never forget this quiet and gentle man who showed so much strength in his commitment to expressing his feelings and sharing ideas though colour, texture and form. May he remain an inspiration for many years to come.





· The Graduate Exhibition curated by Kefiloe Siwisa in collaboration with Maja Marx returns for a 5th year and draws huge attention from those who attend the Fair. Visitors can expect to see the exciting work of graduates who have been handpicked from across South Africa. The Graduate Show presents a great opportunity to buy and start collecting some fabulous work of artists who are at the beginning of their artistic careers.

· Installations have always been an exciting part of the RMB Turbine Art Fair and 2019 will be no exception. The new space lends itself perfectly to installations and visitors will see the likes of Nkhensani Rihlampfu presented by M Studio Community and Jake Singer.

· Gerard Sekoto Foundation wlll be presenting an exhibition at RMB TAF.

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