Cape Town art fair returns to the Mother City

Cape Town is set to be the centre of the international art world as Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) returns to the Mother City this month.

The 13th edition of the highly anticipated art festival will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 20 to 22 February in an expansive and dynamic exploration of the theme ‘Listen’.

“Listening isn’t passive – it’s an embodied act that deepens our understanding of art and one another,” says fair director Laura Vincenti. “Our curators have meticulously built a genuinely global representation, bringing together voices from different corners of the world. Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026 is a convergence of these voices – a space where artists, galleries and audiences are encouraged not only to see, but to listen.”

This year’s fair will feature 126 exhibitors from 23 cities showcasing the work of 490 artists from 44 countries and five continents. Last year’s fair welcomed over 30 000 visitors and featured Windhoek-based gallery The Project Room representing artists Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn and Maria Mbereshu.

The 2026 edition will comprise four curated sections, namely ‘Tomorrows/Today’, ‘SOLO’, ‘Generations’ and ‘Cabinet/Record’ curated by Mariella Franzoni (Barcelona), Céline Seror (Amsterdam), Tandazani Dhlakama (Toronto), and Beata America (Cape Town), respectively.

ICTAF 2026 also includes an awards programme with a host of new prizes in addition to familiar accolades. The Orms International Photography Prize will debut at the 2026 fair with the Investec Emerging Artist Award, the Tomorrows/Today Prize and the RDC Acquisition Prize returning.

“These awards reflect the fair’s spirit that recognition fuels innovation,” says Vincenti. “As the fair expands, so does our responsibility to champion the emerging voices shaping our collective future.”

Abuzz with a talks programme, workshops, walkabouts and industry events in addition to its ‘Main’, ‘Lookout’, ‘Editions’, ‘Connect’ and refreshed ‘Capsule’ sections, ICTAF will be expanding its offering in terms of meterage and programming while incorporating the allure of the city itself.

Beyond the CTICC, the fair’s Unbound City public programme invites enthusiasts to engage with a metropolis and art destination in bloom.

Highlights include a tribute to Albie Sachs at Zeitz MOCAA, Edoardo Villa in dialogue with contemporary South African sculpture at BlackBrick Hotel and ‘Wild Life’, a Brett Murray retrospective, at Norval Foundation.

International and homegrown artists, curators, gallerists, patrons, art critics and collectors are encouraged to continue the conversation at the after-hours Art Hub at The Gin Bar throughout the fair.

“Cape Town is a city shaped by many voices,” says Vincenti. “Through ‘Listen’, we are exploring how art becomes a space for encounter – between geographies, generations and ways of seeing. The fair is not only a meeting point for the market, but for ideas, histories and shared futures.”

Amid a selection of international and South African art and artists, the fair welcomes galleries and artists from Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, with Lagos billed as having a particularly strong presence.

Described as “a platform that connects Africa to the world – and the world to Africa”, Investec Cape Town Art Fair is a continental art excursion not to be missed as a site of contemporary art inspiration, industry connection and celebration.

For more information as well as the full programme of events, visit www.investeccapetownartfair.co.za

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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