For galleries seeking to showcase their artists to a broad audience of collectors, curators and enthusiasts from the African and international art worlds, the next Investec Cape Town Art Fair is now calling for applications.
The 14th edition of the fair, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 19 to 21 February 2027, invites galleries to participate in a curatorial framework, In Acts of Alchemy, that unpacks the ways in which encounters between artists, materials and audiences act as alchemy to create meaning.
For potential exhibitors, this means navigating a range of options on offer, depending on the programmes, galleries and artistic practices that they wish to present.
Choosing the right section
The 2027 edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair will be split into three main sections – Main, Lookout and Editions – with three curated sections – Tomorrows/Today, SOLO and Generations – and a return of Capsule.
Main is geared towards established contemporary art galleries with extended programmes and diverse practices who wish to present expansive displays.
Lookout is dedicated to non-traditional project spaces emerging in alternative venues, which have been operating for less than five years.
Editions offers a different entry point for printmakers, publishers, studios and workshops presenting editions and multiples.
Across the curated sections, however, there are additional considerations.
Tomorrows/Today, led by guest curator Dr Mariella Franzoni, will highlight new and under-recognised practices and ask exhibitors to position their work within the thematic brief of artistic practices that engage with materiality and imagination to advance new ways of thinking about the world.
SOLO, led by Céline Seror, will present the work of individual artists who grapple with transformation and embodiment, spirituality and materiality, and shifting and fluid notions of gender and desire.
Generations, led by Hamzeh Alfarahneh, will explore abstraction, with a specific focus on intergenerational practices from Southern Africa, the African continent, the Global Majority and its diaspora.
How applying would be beneficial
The different entry points on offer for the 2027 edition mean that potential exhibitors considering participation in the fair need to think critically about where their proposals might fit.
This could be as broad as presenting an established programme from their gallery in Main, or introducing a new venture in contemporary art with Lookout.
It could also mean shaping a solo presentation around a specific body of work, or positioning their practice within one of the curated sections as a way to intervene in a particular topic of concern to the fair’s curatorial team.
The 2026 edition of the fair saw 126 exhibitors from 34 global cities and more than 490 artists, with the event drawing more than 34 000 visitors and 10 000 VIPs.
As such, Investec Cape Town Art Fair offers galleries an unparalleled opportunity to connect with the African art market and the international art world.
The fair’s role as a place where art market players, artists, collectors, curators, journalists and other stakeholders can meet and exchange is further amplified by the presence of a wide range of public programmes that take place across the three-day event.
Applications are already open
Applications for the 2027 edition are now open, with potential exhibitors encouraged to familiarise themselves with the criteria of whichever section they are considering applying to, keep in mind that the application fee is R3 000 plus 15% VAT and be aware that notification of acceptance or declines is expected in October 2026.
With the deadline for applications set for Friday, 2 October 2026, and the 2027 edition of the fair underpinned by the curatorial theme In Acts of Alchemy, exhibitors considering participation need to think through how their work intersects with the alchemy that takes place when artists, materials, ideas and audiences collide to produce something that reflects a new reality.
