The Art of Sales: FNB Art Joburg brings spring feeling to City of Gold

It’s a great weekend to be in the City of Gold as art players and enthusiasts from the African continent and the globe assemble at the Sandton Convention Centre for the 16th iteration of the FNB Art Joburg Fair.

Running from 8 – 10 September, FNB Art Joburg has become one of the most hyped art events on the creative calendar and has played an instrumental role in developing and sustaining a commercial economy that prioritises practitioners from Africa and beyond.

The event will bring an impressive line-up of contemporary art galleries including blank, Eclectic Contemporary, BKhz, Everard Read, First Floor Gallery Harare, Gallery MOMO, Goodman Gallery, Kalashnikovv Gallery, Smac Gallery, Stevenson, Suburbia Contemporary, WhatIfTheWorld, Wunika Mukan Gallery and Village Unhu.

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This year’s fair, which is divided into six sections, will feature a plethora of exhibitions, art talks and book signings.

Works from established artists represented by various galleries such as Nelson Makamo, Obey Clothing founder Shepard Fairey, Sthenjwa Luthuli and Sabelo Mlangeni to emerging artists including Ben Orkin, Inga Somdyala and Tatenda Chidora will be on view.

The fair aims to bridge the gap between the creatives and the consumer by making art accessible through its initiative in the city of Johannesburg.

“Johannesburg is the intentional home to FNB Art Joburg. Beyond the name the fair, like the city, represents the African continent’s love, tenacity and its irreverent energy.

“Artists, curators and cultural policy makers living or visiting Johannesburg understand how it’s a city that speaks for the continent,” FNB Art Joburg’s managing director, Mandla Sibeko said.

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“FNB Art Joburg’s mandate is to sustainably support and grow the contemporary African art offering that is shown on African soil.

“As the continent’s leading fair, we are thrilled to continue seeing this through while actively fulfilling our quest for economic stimulation, inclusivity, and better access for all, with 16+ days of culture through Open City,” Sibeko added.

More fun activities

Open City will also run until 15 September – offering live music, stand-up comedy performances, walkabouts, a football exhibition match, and afterparties such as Ebumnandini across the city of Johannesburg.

Interview

In the lead up to the spectacle, The Citizen spoke to BKhz’s founding director, Banele Khoza and Kalashnikovv Gallery’s co-director, M.J Turpin about their participation at the fair.

How would you position FNB Art Joburg Fair within the context of a much larger scene of global art market events?

BK: “I think because of the timing in spring, the fair becomes an immediate attraction for a lot of collectors and art enthusiasts in terms of seeing [not only] what is happening around the country but also in the continent as well because it is not only limited to galleries in South Africa.

“It is one of the main events you look forward to because people from Cape Town and abroad come to Johannesburg to see what is happening. Last week, there were art talks hosted by FNB, which was such a nice way to warm and gear up for this week.”

MJT: “I can confidently say FNB Art Joburg is a world class fair. It makes me even happier it is in my hometown so I’m very much in support and a fan of what they do and they do it well.”

How do you balance the sales-driven reality of the art market and creative artwork when curating an exhibition booth experience at a fair?

BK: “I think we always kind of meditate into an idea we want people to experience within the fair. When you walk inside you feel like you are in a nice cocoon. I think the gallery has always been known for being colourful … every exhibition is very colourful, but this is the first time we use grey only because I noticed two years ago that grey is a very calming colour if it’s used well.”

“So we wanted to pass that to the audience that comes into the space and in that way when it silences the noise around, then people actually get invested and sometimes even want to stay in the space throughout the fair and that’s where we build connections.

“In the fair context, you are able to make sales on the floor because sometimes you make a connection with a new collector. They might not buy now, but they might buy later. We also have pre-existing collectors so there’s multiple ways to make sales. We have got an international audience and to be honest 90% of our sales have been from abroad in the last three years.”

MJT: “I think for us in this present station specifically, the more senior artists lead the way and hold space for the younger and more experimental work … so one is very established and one is just emerging. The trick is to find a balance between the two because we, obviously, want to support young emerging talent, but also we need to sell to pay for the booth.”

Is there a specific theme or message the gallery’s booth is trying to convey in the fair?

BK: “I think it is growth … growth in a sense we are more confident about ourselves now where it’s like we don’t have to overdo things, but it’s just like doing something in the way we trust it’s going to work out for this specific activation.”

MJT: “With this presentation, I think it’s a nice balance between quite academic based practice and then now quite more street art based work. On one side you have a high conceptual format like with Turiya Magadlela, for example, and you’ll have the complete opposite on the other side of the wall with Shepard Fairey.

“It’s very much about the nuances of South Africa … the balance between the hyper modern and the historical high street art so those are mainly counter points within our booth.”

The fact that BKhz and Kalashnikovv just celebrated their 5th and 10th year anniversaries respectively highlights the patience and perseverance that is needed to run a gallery. What advice can you give to newly established and upcoming galleries as well as independent artists about participating in art fairs, growing their audience and, overall, playing the long game?

BK: “It’s about intentionality. I think we have been very intentional, from literally the first exhibition we opened in 2018, about every show or every project we participate in rather than trying to do what everyone is doing. It’s really about what you can do because one easily can burn out quickly when you say yes to everything.

“I would also say just thinking differently in terms of how you stand out. I think you have to keep your audience in mind about how to excite them each time in terms of the experience … that has worked for us.

“I think also being good at communication with your clients, starting from your artists, as well, because our primary clients are artists that are collectors. I think also for me maybe my strength is I genuinely like connecting with people so that always translates.”

MJT: “Always curate for your community first and foremost … and for yourself. Art fairs can come later because it’s hypercompetitive. It’s very much about the market and when you are just starting out you must always focus on why you are doing it, where you are doing it and for who? … only later everything else should fall into place.

“You have to create an authentic identity first that will serve you and make you stand out in the market for years to come. Find yourself first before worrying about the commercial space that is art fairs.”

BKhz and Kalashnikovv are exhibiting in the galleryHUB section of the fair. Tickets are available on the FNB Art Joburg website.

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