Sun, Beaches and Art in Cape Town
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Laura Vincenti is the director of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (February 15 – 17), now in its seventh edition. She says that Cape Town is the place to be for all art practitioners and connoisseurs as it gives access to the artistic production taking placSun, Beaches and Art in Cape Town
Laura Vincenti is the director of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (February 15 – 17), now in its seventh edition. She says that Cape Town is the place to be for all art practitioners and connoisseurs as it gives access to the artistic production taking place in the subcontinent. More than 100 African and international exhibitors are participating in the current edition of the fair, taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The city’s art scene is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and its flagship fair attracts almost 18,000 visitors, collectors, gallerists, curators, artists and other art lovers from all over the world.Vincenti spoke with Blouin Artinfo on making the best of the fair and the city.What are you most excited about this edition of the fair?There are many things to be excited about in the 2019 edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair. I’m excited to see the presentations of all the new international galleries who are participating for the first time. I’m also excited to see how the regional galleries have evolved since the last edition. The curated sections are also very appealing, particularly Unframed, where we will have large-scale presentations by two very different artists, Ed Young and Asemahle Ntlonti, as well as a video booth by A4 Arts Foundation showing works by Clement Cogitore and Borna Sammak.How long have you been living in Cape Town and what do you like best about it?I have been living in Cape Town for the past four years, long enough to begin feeling like home here. One of the reasons I like Cape Town is the lifestyle it offers. It’s a beautiful city with some of the most amazing views of nature. There’s a good variety of restaurants and boutiques spread all over the city. And of course, the local art world is what attracted me here. The mix of artists and the diversity of their different aesthetics and contexts is really unique. Cape Town gives access to the artistic production taking place all over the continent.What is your favorite time of the year to enjoy Cape Town and why? February, the sun is warm and the wind is down. What are the places/venues in Cape Town that you would recommend all visitors to not miss, even if they are coming for a short trip?Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are gorgeous and perfect for a picnic, I would absolutely recommend this. Also a trip out to the vineyards, Franschoek and Stellenbosch have so much to offer too, Babylonstoren and Boschendal have beautiful farms, with gardens, great restaurants and incredible scenery.What are the best restaurants serving local cuisine?There is a new restaurant which has opened around the corner from my house called Upper Bloem which is inspired by flavors of Bo-Kapp, I love it there.Where would you dash off to for a quick coffee and/or snack?Places I always like to go are The Strangers Club, the Blue Cafe, and the Botanical Bar, all of them are intimate and laid-back, with beautiful interiors.What are the best theaters to check out new plays and other live performances?The Fugard Theatre and Baxter Theatre both show fantastic locally-produced plays. The Alexander Bar and Theatre is great for watching plays by independent playwrights which are a bit more experimental and smaller in scale.Any activity that one must participate in to get the feel like a local?If you don’t get up at 4.30am for a morning surf, hike, or cycling, or for a yoga class, at least on an occasion, you are not a real Capetonian! What would you do if you had a free morning or afternoon in the city?In the morning, I would definitely choose a walk by the ocean on the Noordhoek beach, with a stop on my way back to town at the Norval Foundation to take a look at the collection and their exhibitions.For a free afternoon, I would choose a more city-focused activity, like browsing for interesting books at Clarkes, or looking for rare objects in vintage shops in Long Street. Then I’d take a look at the art galleries in town and in Woodstock to see the latest exhibitions.What museums or galleries you would recommend one must definitely visit in the city, even if short on time?The public collections of the Iziko National Museums are all very interesting. These are the national museums dedicated to art, natural and social history, and historic homes with art collections, all fairly close to each other.Cape Town has also seen a boom of fantastic private collections such as Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art, The Norval Foundation, and A4 Arts Foundation. They all have fascinating exhibition programmes, and are filled with the highest standard of Contemporary and Modern art. It’s worthwhile to see as many of the galleries as you can when you’re in Cape Town. They’re all more or less grouped together in the CBD and in Woodstock, and they all have something completely fresh and unique to offer.Where would you recommend people stay when they visit?If you really want to spoil yourself, Ellerman House and Pod are both incredible experiences. There is also In Awe Stays which is a beautiful, historic house in the Victorian-style that characterises a lot of the city’s most iconic architecture.Do you have a favorite book depicting the region, or an author of any provenance who writes about the region in an especially evocative way?JM Coetzee is the most well-known Cape Town writer. There is also The Quiet Violence Of Dreams by K. Sello Duiker, a novel that has inspired the work of many artists and curators working in the city.https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more