Hout Bay art fair to raise funds for Lalela
Artists have until Thursday November 14 to submit work for an art fair to be held in Hout Bay next year.
The fair, to be held at the Ghuba Gallery, in Hout Bay, from Friday February 7 to Sunday February 9, will raise funds for the Hout Bay non-profit Lalela arts programme, according to art curator Samantha Whittaker, from Curatorial Edge, who is organising it along with, Georgina Vintin (artist), from Clay by Georgina, and Bianca Said (social media expert), from Social Studio SA.
“We are a small team and had no funding so honestly we have all been so hands on in every way we can to pull this fair together. Our ultimate goal is to present a fine art fair of the highest calibre that will make our community proud, support local artists and set Hout Bay on the fine art map,“ she said.
Lalela art teacher Carol Dube plans to exhibit a mixed media work, Mothers of the Digital Womb, during the fair. She describes it as an exploration of the evolution of African women from traditional knowledge keepers to facilitators in an “AI-driven educational landscape”.
“The most exciting part is integrating traditional fabrics with modern digital elements. The challenge lay in seamlessly blending these elements to reflect both the nurturing role and technological advancements.
“My goal is to showcase the journey of African women as they maintain their cultural heritage while embracing technological advancements in education. The message is about bridging tradition and the future of AI-driven education, highlighting the evolving role of African women as educators and facilitators.”
Also exhibiting will be painter and weaver Grace Cross, who has been living in Hout Bay for four years.
“I was born in Zimbabwe and raised between South Africa, USA, Kenya, Greece and India. I think partly what sparked my passion for art is because of the way I was raised: absorbing so many different places and cultures and trying to make sense of where I fit in.
“Having had a very active imagination since I was a child, I fell into making images as a method of telling stories that can be felt as well as seen. Making art is often maddening, but it sustains my inner life and is elusively addictive.”
Cross says she paints stories of motherhood and home, mostly using oil on canvas.
“I make textured paintings, wrought in bright celebratory colour, that show the sacred and the profane moments of motherhood. Weaving the cultural fabric of life and ritual into my canvases, I explore the emotional wisdom that caring for children opens up.”
Tickets for the art fair are R50, and all proceeds will support Lalela, which provides arts education for at-risk youth (“Women’s Day workshop,” Sentinel, August 16).
Ms Whittaker hopes the fair will become an annual event.
“We are refining the programming over the three days that will exist in various locations and include elements like workshops, open studio visits and performances. The public can expect a diverse mix of painting, sculpture, print making, mixed media and ceramic artworks,” she said.
For more information, contact Samantha Whittaker at 072 782 7135.
