Turbine Art Fair 2022
July 21, 2022 - July 24, 2022
Turbine Art Fair2022: An inner view
By Nolan Stevens
From July 21st to July 24th the 2022 iteration of The Turbine Art Fair (TAF) took place. What would make this particular fair noteworthy was the inclusion of a new art gallery and studio space called Asisebenze
Art Atelier (AAA). In just the first year of existence the AAA was not only appearing in a prestigious local art fair but selling art and exposing the Johannesburg art fraternity to a different flavor of Afro-urban
artistry. Over the four-day period, AAA had double our visibility with two booths; one curated by Ashraf Jamal, which was constituted a largely Capetonian contingent of artists affiliated to AAA. Whilst the
second booth was comprised of a selection of the AAA artists, along with presenting a print-box by our professional print studio, PERSPECTIVE ART STUDIOS, who presented a collection of pints, by a variety of
artists.
The eclectic mix of artists, mediums, and techniques had definitely captured the imagination of the art buying populous of the fair as the two booths presented opposing points of focus. With regard to the
Affiliate booth, the focus was largely abstract with a large component of works being three-dimensional, the AAA , however, had a much stronger focus on portraiture and identity politics. The polarized nature
of these booths could have given anyone looking to delve deep enough into the socio-political insights into the not-so-secret undertones of South Africa as a country. This provided many insightful
conversations with those who maned the booths and those who were looking to engage with the art. If the Turbine Art Fair of 2022 can be seen as the AAA’s coming out party, the buzz and feedback which
subsequently ensued would make it impossible for anyone to forget.
