Open Studios Fish Hoek & Clovelly (OSFHC) returns from 9 to 11 October 2026 with a programme that takes the studio visit experience beyond the walls of the gallery. As well as individual artists opening their studios to the public, this year’s programme also includes art in department-store windows, framing shops, cafés, shared studios and other community spaces.
The event programme reflects the nature of the Southern Peninsula’s creative community, where artists’ practices often permeate everyday life. In place of an exhibition hub, OSFHC invites visitors to meander through the surrounding area and interact with different artists in their working environments.
The 2026 programme also extends into the days preceding the event. From 1 October, AP Jones in Fish Hoek will host an exhibition by South African artist Elizabeth Vels, who recently celebrated her 89th birthday. A Cabinet of Curiosities: Recording and Recalling a Very Long Life features ceramics, oil paintings and works on paper from across her career.
Born in 1937, Vels has held 14 solo exhibitions and is considered one of South Africa’s earliest papermakers and artists’ bookmakers, a practice she has pursued since the late 1970s. The exhibition provides an overview of a five-decade career that has spanned fine art, craft, bookmaking and material experimentation.
Outside AP Jones, the building’s two front windows will be transformed into large-scale installations specially created for OSFHC. Artists Sue Kaplan and Marlise Keith will display self-portraits and hanging works, while designer and costumier Susan Didcott will transform the second window’s mannequin using predominantly recycled paper and card.
The installation interventions create a connection with the street, putting artists’ works in conversation with passersby outside the gallery doors. AP Jones will also act as a collection point for the OSFHC maps, providing a convenient hub for visitors to gather information about the wider programme.
When the frame becomes the artwork
Another pre-event installation will take place at Jacqui’s Framery at 89 Main Road. From 1 October, artists Candice Oppenheim, Gerda Smit and Nicolene Louw will collaborate on a bespoke installation that explores the juxtaposition of empty picture frames and original artworks.
The project uses the materials and language of the business to investigate the dynamic between art, craft, display and the commercial environment of Main Road.
That concept of engaging with existing spaces continues into the new additions to the weekend programme.
Fish Hoek Studios, a shared artists’ studio that opened in 2025, participates in OSFHC for the first time. The space comprises 11 individual studios in addition to a woodworking workshop, accommodating artists working across a variety of disciplines.
For the event, works will be displayed in the communal area, giving visitors an introduction to the participating artists and an insight into the environment in which they create. Contemporary artist Xanthe Scout Lardner-Burke, who is a friend of the studio, will curate the display.
The studio as a shared experience
Mothership Studios, which was founded in late 2025, also participates in OSFHC for the first time. The artist-led professional studio and makers’ space was established in response to a perceived need for accessible, child-friendly and community-oriented studio environments in Fish Hoek.
Its involvement in the event continues the theme of collaboration and shared practice. Visitors will receive a piece of paper and walk through various workstations where artists will add a stamp, creating a finished work for each visitor to take home.
The project transforms the studio visit into a participatory experience and acts as a literal representation of the visitor’s journey through the space and engagement with the different artists.
At Peak Café on Main Road, the audience also becomes part of the exhibition. Visitors can create miniature artworks on Post-it notes and contribute to an ever-growing on-site display, with four prizes to be given away through a public vote. A group exhibition of small works by OSFHC artists will accompany the project.
Elsewhere, the Fish Hoek-based Joyce Chevalier Protective Workshop, an NPO that offers sheltered employment for people with disabilities and special needs, will contribute beaded keyrings commissioned by OSFHC sponsor Property Peninsula. The keyrings will be on display at participating studio stops.
The event also features local businesses along the route. Farm Shack Cafe on Paris Road, close to False Bay Hospital, will extend its opening hours and provide a special weekend menu, offering visitors somewhere to pause between studio visits. The café grows its own produce in an adjacent food garden and serves fresh juices, milkshakes, coffee, sandwiches and wraps alongside its own produce and other goods.
An art weekend built around access
As a whole, the additions to the 2026 programme highlight the potential for an open-studio weekend to encompass a broad range of experiences.
The OSFHC 2026 programme spans individual studios, shared workspaces, retail environments, cafés, public displays and community organisations to create an art route that snakes through the neighbourhoood rather than being confined to conventional exhibition spaces.
The inclusivity of the event is integral to its philosophy, encouraging visitors to see where artists work, interact with different stages of their creative processes and meet the people behind the art, with local businesses and community organisations added to the itinerary.
OSFHC 2026 takes place from 9 to 11 October, with a paid preview on Friday, 9 October to benefit breast cancer NPO Project Flamingo, and free entry on Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11 October, with participating studios open from 10:00 to 16:00.
For the full programme, participating venues and digital map, visit Open Studios Fish Hoek & Clovelly online.
