---
title: "FNB Art Joburg director’s top 10 highlights for this cultural highlight"
description: "As Johannesburg ushers in the vibrant spring cultural season, the city is also set to welcome weeks of artistic wonder with the opening of the FNB Art Fair this weekend. This much-anticipated event, a highlight of Johannesburg’s cultural calendar, offers a rich tapestry of creativity and expression."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "MATTERS OF THE ART"
author: "Mandla Sibeko"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/mandla-sibeko/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-04-fnb-art-fair-directors-highlights-for-this-joburg-cultural-highlight/"
published: "2024-09-04T12:00:51"
updated: "2024-09-05T09:48:41"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 683
---

# FNB Art Joburg director’s top 10 highlights for this cultural highlight

> As Johannesburg ushers in the vibrant spring cultural season, the city is also set to welcome weeks of artistic wonder with the opening of the FNB Art Fair this weekend. This much-anticipated event, a highlight of Johannesburg’s cultural calendar, offers a rich tapestry of creativity and expression.

By Mandla Sibeko · Published 4 September 2024, 14:00 SAST · Updated 5 September 2024, 11:48 SAST

## Key points
- FNB Art Fair director Mandla Sibeko curates top 10 picks for art enthusiasts, promising a plethora of exploration beyond the surface of this year's eclectic fair, including a book launch with Penny Siopis delving into the transformative power of film, a showcase of emerging talent at Post Gallery in Addis Ababa, and a celebration of community perspectives by Nigerian fibre artist Bubu Ogisi at 16/16 in Lagos.
- FNB Art Fair director Mandla Sibeko reveals top 10 picks for exploration at this year’s fair.
- Book launch & signing event for Penny Siopis' comprehensive study of her short films on Friday, 6 September 2024, 5.30pm.
- Post Gallery in Addis Ababa showcases emerging artist Solomon Geleta Urgessa's work.
- Celebrated Nigerian fibre artist Bubu Ogisi's art on display at 16/16 in Lagos, Nigeria.

## Content

FNB Art Fair director Mandla Sibeko has curated his top 10 picks for Daily Maverick, though there’s much more to explore at this year’s fair.

#### **Book Launch & Signing: Your History with Me: The Films of Penny Siopis**

Penny Siopis, renowned internationally for her groundbreaking work, presents a comprehensive study of her short films. This book launch, where Siopis will be in conversation with author and professor of literary and cultural studies Sarah Nuttall and writer and associate director at Stevenson Sinazo Chiya, which marks the South African premiere, explores how her work redefines film as a tool for experimentation and intervention.

![Photo: Mario Todeschini / courtesy of Stevenson](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/PbgqQJG_dqUJj_ilLesqyCH9lxQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/M9_IMG_7848.jpg)

*Your History with Me: The Films of Penny Siopis. Photo: Mario Todeschini / courtesy of Stevenson*

Date and time: Friday, 6 September 2024, 5.30pm.

#### **Post Gallery (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)**

Established by Frehiwot Demissie in February 2023, Post Gallery is a new art space in Addis Ababa that aims to provide a platform for emerging artists. This year, they present the work of painter Solomon Geleta Urgessa.

![Solomon Geleta Urgessa. Mr & Mrs 2024. Oil on Canvas 150 x 140cm (Courtesy of
Solomon Geleta Urgessa & Post Gallery)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/6mBDbAsMS3X-Vmvbc4VLhbxepsw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/MrandMrs-1-1.jpg)

*Solomon Geleta Urgessa. Mr & Mrs 2024. Oil on Canvas 150 x 140cm (Courtesy of Solomon Geleta Urgessa & Post Gallery)*

#### **16/16 (Lagos, Nigeria)**

16/16, a creative incubator in Victoria Island, Lagos, has been a hub for artistic collaboration for more than eight years. They will be showcasing the work of celebrated Nigerian fibre artist Bubu Ogisi, who explores community perspectives through her art.

![Bubu Ogisi and Tamibe Bourdanné. 4, 2023. Giclee print (edition of 10). 8.3 x 11.7 inches
(Courtesy of artist)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/hYFuR7dhQiIZ-8u686D9rgcS2k4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Image-4.jpeg)

*Bubu Ogisi and Tamibe Bourdanné. 4, 2023. Giclee print (edition of 10). 8.3 x 11.7 inches (Courtesy of artist)*

#### **Of Soul & Joy (Johannesburg, South Africa)**

A social and artistic initiative by Rubis Mécénat and Easigas, Of Soul & Joy empowers young people in Thokoza through photography. Alumni include acclaimed artists such as FNB Art Prize winner Lindokuhle Sobekwa. This year, the initiative is featured in the ORG section.

#### **Atelier le Grand Village**

Directed by Francis van der Riet, Atelier le Grand Village specialises in stone lithography and other printmaking techniques. The studio presents new works from southern African artists Walter Oltmann, Diane Victor, Pauline Gutter and Tatenda Chidora, created over the past 18 months.

![Tatenda Chidora. Untitled II (The Postage Stamp series), 2024. Plate Lithograph. 60 x 45
cm (Courtesy of Atelier le Grand Village)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/qrOBQpVpgULq6tBNZcHranqZTh4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tatenda-Postage-2-webS-1.jpg)

*Tatenda Chidora. Untitled II (The Postage Stamp series), 2024. Plate Lithograph. 60 x 45 cm (Courtesy of Atelier le Grand Village)*

#### **Johannes Phokela: The Seven Virtues**

Johannes Phokela, a distinguished South African artist, is known for his unique blend of classical European techniques and contemporary themes. His work, The Seven Virtues, explores postcolonial identity and social justice through a series of seven panels, each depicting a traditional virtue.

#### **Nolan Oswald Dennis: Rememberer (Kgositsile’s Folly)**

This large-scale annotated wallpaper from Dennis’s Black Liberation Zodiac series honours South African poet Keorapetse Kgositsile. The piece, presented as an infinity curve, explores the concept of a black *pastpresentfuture*.

![Nolan Oswald Dennis. Rememberer (Kgositsile’s Folly), 2022. Print on fabric and metal stands.
(Image courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/QSShLN3Fz6ttzvgm_7EVOoQej-4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nolan-Oswald-Dennis_black-liberation-zodiac-Kgositsiles-folly.jpg)

*Nolan Oswald Dennis. Rememberer (Kgositsile’s Folly), 2022. Print on fabric and metal stands. (Courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery)*

#### **Alf Khumalo, Ernest Cole & Peter Magubane**

Celebrating three decades of South African democracy, the GIF pavilion features the work of photographic legends Alf Khumalo, Ernest Cole and Peter Magubane. Their work documented the realities of the past and contributed to the nation’s journey towards democracy. Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose’s work, eBhish, is also featured as part of the inaugural GIF section.

![Hugh Masekela leaps into the air with delight after recieving a trumpet from American jazz
legend, Louis Armstrong, 1956. Almost half a century later, the image was chosen for the cover of
a book on Masekela's life, Johannesburg, (© Alf Kumalo Family Trust)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/FWSiNu8c9R6FkXNxcihWuH8e-pA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Hugh-Masekela-airborne_fixed.jpg)

*Hugh Masekela leaps into the air with delight after receiving a trumpet from American jazz legend, Louis Armstrong, 1956. Almost half a century later, the image was chosen for the cover of a book on Masekela's life, Johannesburg, (© Alf Kumalo Family Trust)*

#### **Everard Read Gallery: Women in Conversation by Helen Sebidi**

This year’s gallery HUB pavilion focuses on solo presentations by women artists. The Everard Read Gallery showcases Mmakgabo Mmapula Mmangankato Helen Sebidi’s Women in Conversationsculptures, a must-see at the fair.

#### **Sabelo Mlangeni at blank projects**

![Sabelo Mlangeni. Arop House, 2004. Silver gelatin print, 50 x 70 cm. (Courtesy of the
artist and blank projects)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/SVwFV9PaJsAYjC67xEKPWbPlrRU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Arop-House-2004-_-silver-gelatin-print-copy-1.jpg)

*Sabelo Mlangeni. Arop House, 2004. Silver gelatin print, 50 x 70 cm. (Courtesy of the artist and blank projects)*

Sabelo Mlangeni’s black-and-white photography captures the beauty of ordinary life, with a deep focus on community and the human experience. His practice involves spending extensive time with his subjects, resulting in intimate and compelling images that reflect the most profound aspects of life. **DM**