Investec Art Fair 2026: “Art Demands to be Felt”

Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026 announces itself long before one steps fully inside. On arrival, the scene is set. The energy within the halls signals the start of art’s most anticipated weekend in the city.

“As Africa’s largest contemporary art fair, it continues to shine as a symbol of artistic excellence and innovation, bridging the gap between local creativity and international curiosity.”  Peta Dixon, Investec head of Sponsorships.”

Dixon adds, “At Investec, we share this spirit, rooted in South Africa yet globally minded, making us the ideal partner for this cultural exhibition. Our 2025 campaign, World-class partnerships leave lasting impressions, celebrates the transformative power of collaboration. It reflects our gratitude for our origins while embracing a vision that knows no borders.”

A textile extravaganza

For both seasoned and young art enthusiasts, the 2026 iteration of the iconic Art Fair was an inspiring experience for the body and mind. “Art demands to be felt”, has always been an expression related to the ability for art to evoke emotion. The most notable exhibits took this notion to new depths, invoking the urge to physically touch the works on display. Incredibly textured and vibrantly colored, every art piece demanded onlookers to step closer.

From silk folded with incredible geometrical precision (Pierre Louis Geldenhuys), and burlap meticulously stitched onto woven nylon (Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro), to a large wooden sculpture, which when looked at closer, consists of hundreds of incredibly crafted tinier sculptures (Dominique ZinkpÉ), and a wall installation I never would’ve imagined thousands of the same safety pins I used to style my outfit that day, could be transformed in that way.

Storytelling through touch

It goes without saying that, coupled with the admiration of art in a space such as this, is also an observation of how artists across the world, often shaped by their lived experiences and environments, tend to have those stories come alive in their art. And although it is near impossible to remember every single art piece on display on the weekend, made equally impossible has been forgetting a piece titled “Here I Saw My Ancestors First” by the remarkable Manyaku Mashilo. The piece expresses generations of women and the journeys they’ve undertaken, leaving one contemplating where one comes from, where one is headed, and once gone, what remains, a legacy, a story carried forward. The piece embodies a story that will never tire of being seen, heard and told.

The Art of Admiration

As my afternoon at the fair grew to a close, senses overstimulated in the best way, I found myself returning to something a friend once shared about art fairs in response to the familiar “stop taking pictures and buy the art”, a sentiment that feels slightly reductive of what these spaces truly hold. Of course, supporting artists through acquisition matters, but so does presence. So does admiration. So does inspiration. In an era so enamoured by screens, there is something quietly indulgent about simply standing before a work and allowing it move you. Art does demand to be felt, and spaces like the art fair make room for exactly that.

About Baatile Mamabolo

Baatile is a freelance creative brand strategist and cultural practitioner with 9 years in the industry, specialising in brand development and creative direction across music, art, culture and adjacent creative industries. Converging at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, campaign narratives, and social media ecosystems, Baatile curates programs and collaborates with a wide network of artists and creatives, bringing together vision, structure, and cultural relevance. With a robust academic background grounded in research and critical study, Baatile has championed some of the foremost moments in music and art in South Africa, and is due to complete her PhD in Anthropology.