22/02/2026
As South Africa’s largest fair opens its doors to some local collectors, but mostly ones who migrate — seasonally and predictably — to Cape Town’s sun-drenched promise of lifestyle and leisure, we arrive at what locals call Cape Town Art Week. For me, it marks the final mile of a four-month marathon: a zigzag between the Middle East and Africa, between biennales, fairs, studio visits, lectures and long airport corridors.
Investec Cape Town Art Fair has grown steadily year on year (pandemic pause aside), yet the perennial question lingers: can it attract a broader calibre of galleries from across the continent and beyond? For now, it is evident that Cape Town’s blue-chip and mid-tier galleries carry the weight of the floor. A handful of international participants return with South African artists from their programmes; others, who once held a presence here, are noticeably absent, P420 where are you?
One wonders: is the local market expanding outward, or tightening inward? There is something admirable in the South African collector’s loyalty, a doubling down on artists they know, often personally. And yet, for a fair to mature, it must eventually shape its identity not only through allegiance but through discernment.
1. ‘Diplomatique (European Union United States) (2013-26) Meschac Gaba. Image courtesy of the artist and Stevenson,
2. ‘Split Paw Paw’ (1982) Penny Siopis. Image courtesy of the artist and Stevenson.
3. ‘Folded alphabets’ (2026) Kemang Wa Lehulere. Image courtesy of the artist and blank projects.
4. ‘I can finally exhale’ (2025) Kresiah Mukwazhi. Image courtesy of the artist and blank projects
5. ‘Riots Mozambique 24th December 2024’ (2025) Rose Shakinovsky. Image courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery
