Turning 11 this year, the Turbine Art Fair (TAF) is back and reimagining the way we experience art. This year the fair takes place at Hyde Park Corner, one of Joburg’s most upscale shopping centres that’s home to a variety of local and international luxury brands. A rather unusual space to host an art exhibition, it fits TAF's reputation of being innovative, and dynamic. Plus in Joburg, the mall is everything, having long supplanted the often glaring lack of safe public space. 

This annual event is known for showcasing the works of emerging and established artists in a unique, vibrant, and exciting environment. Apart from the exceptional range of artwork on display, Turbine Art Fair 2023 will also offer up a delicious variety of food and drinks to enjoy, commissioned installations and exhibitions, plenty of local design and fashion, and a phenomenal art talks programme curated by Palesa Segomotso Motsumi, the founder of creative consultancy Sematsatsa Library, which brings together artists, curators, writers, and cultural and art practitioners. There's even a music accompaniment throughout the fair to keep you grooving as you move through the space.

TAF first started in the city at Turbine Hall in Newtown (which inspired the name) and brought installations and pop-up events to this lively heritage space. Later editions moved to an unused office building in Illovo, then online, an underground venue in Oxford Parks, and now, in 2023, to Hyde Park Corner. This looks to be a permanent home for the annual fair as after the event, the space will be taken up by the organiser, The Forum Company, as a venue for hire. 

In conjunction with the art fair, you'll find several exhibitions and special presentations during the art fair weekend, including:

Fashion collabs, talks, a new art new book store, music and a kid's programme. Read more about these here.

Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) Special Exhibition, TAF in partnership with JAG & iTOO ArtInsure will present a series of works from the Johannesburg Art Gallery Collection including the renowned Dumile Feni Crucifixion triptych.

Steenberg Wine Farm, Don Julio, and The Forum Special Bar and Eatery will see tequila label Don Julio, The Forum Company, and Steenberg Wine Farm join forces to create unique cocktails and serve wines for fairgoers while enjoying the festivities. 

The Turbine Art Fair special projects programme for TAF23 is an exciting mix that takes forward the fair's key focus areas with specific projects. These include: 

TAF Unearthed, displaying work from an excellent six-month-long mentorship programme for emerging artists an opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of art. The group exhibition this year is curated by Teboho Ralesai.  

Off The Grid is a return to abstraction committed to supporting and sustaining the careers of artists outside of the conventional gallery circuit. This year the exhibition features work by: Gail Behrmann, Refiloe Mnisi, Alexandra Khazin, Daniel Chimurere, and the late Samson Minsi, curated by Ashraf Jamal.

On The Grid features three artists whose careers were started through one of the fair's programmes, and who are currently represented by galleries or in partnerships, and have advanced beyond developing practices. The artists chosen for 2023 are Setlamargo Mashilo with Everard Read and Kamyar Binestarigh with Southern Guild.

TAF Capsule teams up with Usha Seejarim, a renowned South African artist, chosen by Turbine Art Fair to be one of the featured artists for the TAF Capsule in 2023. The initiative emphasizes one of TAF's objectives, which is to make art collecting accessible to young collectors. It also attempts to engage audiences and impart practical knowledge about investing in art.  
 
Book your tickets for TAF23 here.