This year's fair programming has been curated into six specialised sections to satisfy a wide range of art tastes.
Quality over Quantity at the HUB
This is the fair's central section which presents the best in contemporary art from across the continent in line with the objective to be a quality rather than quantity focused fair. On the gallery list at FNB Art Joburg is Afriart Gallery, blank projects, Eclectica Contemporary, Everard Read, First Floor Gallery Harare, Gallery MOMO, Goodman Gallery, Guns & Rain, Kalashnikovv, SMAC Gallery, Stevenson, and WHATIFTHEWORLD.Fresh & bold at gallery LAB
Adjacent to the HUB, and looking to the future of contemporary African art, is gallery LAB. An “incubation” to develop emerging galleries and hybrid art spaces, gallery LAB will present and test new ideas and business models aimed at transforming the contemporary African art landscape. Co-curated by Gallery Liaison, FNB Art Joburg's Kim Kandan and independent curator from Ghana, Aida Esi Hayfron-Benjamin, the LAB pavilion will see West and East Africa connecting with the Sub-Saharan African region. Exhibitors featured include: Bubblegum Club, Church Projects, Citizen Projects, Ebony Curated, Ora Loapi, Pacers Gallery, Modzi Art Gallery, Saint George Projects, Suburbia Contemporary and Village Unhu."There aren’t many lines of communication between us and that disconnect is not ignorance… As curators, gallerists, artists and people who put together fairs, it is our job to think about how to bridge that gap by facilitating connections through interventions like gallery LAB,” explains Hayfron-Benjamin.
Larger than life with MAX
ETC
This section will give fair-goers the opportunity to engage with master print and publishing houses.The ORG
Listen up at AUX
Spanning talks, public lectures and audio essays, the AUX section will explore a plethora of topics including magic realism as practice, Biennale reflections, the role of arts writing, and art’s place in the metaverse.
Surrounding the in-person fair, from 25 August to 9 September, Open City's programme will open up the city with a 15+ days programme of art, music, performance, food, and fashion across the city. See the programme curated by Johannesburg In Your Pocket, as well as Keyes Art Mile's programme here.