Note: all photographs are my own, unless otherwise stated.

Heading to the art fair Thursday 15th February- my handpainted Muslin scarf and my Design/
/Life tote bag ready for action!

I had painted marks onto a piece of fabric with my trusty mutsvairo to create a scarf – a good luck comfort wrap to empower me in my travels, I guess … and my Design//Life Tote at the ready for collecting catalogues and business cards

En route I dropped into Africa Nova gallery, owned by Margie Murgatoyd – what delights to view there, what an eclectic, immaculately curated collection of African craft and art. My eye was taken with this banner of emerald green handmade paper, embellished with a gold ore seam!

The Thursday attendances at Investec art fair were considerable but manageable – (my own preference being to begin my journey into the art on display in an uncrowded atmosphere, I who am used to the far vista of a wilderness landscape of trees with an occasional giraffe or elephant in view, or the gentle buzz of the Harare National Art Gallery and Afrotopia Cafe on a quiet day …!)

First astounding work to delight my senses is Tiemar Tegene, from Ethiopia, with Circle Gallery..

– monoprint processes taken to creative extremes, such mark making….

Whew!

Art School Africa facilitated various walkabouts during the fair- here is Karabo Morule discussing Tiemar Tegene’s works… (read more in the following blog.. Highlights and Walkabouts at the Investec art fair)

Then I was drawn to powerful photographic creations from Mario Macilau, Mozambique/Portugal, (with MOVART Gallery, Luanda and Lisbon) and, wonderful always, Zanele Muholi, South African.

Here are close ups from the works ..

Texture, drawing and more texture abounded – a feast for my senses …

Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, multidisciplinary artist, loving nature- with his studio based in Takoradi in Ghana. I found his work with recycled rubber very alluring … as did the buyers ! – this red piece came off the wall as sold very quickly and was replaced by a vibrant turquoise artwork…

Southern Guild showed a monumental Kamyar Bineshtarigh at their SOLO booth-

More delicious textures and surfaces to entrance my eye – drawing, printing ink, bleach, enamel paint, cold glue….

Wonderful use of art on limited edition t-shirts from Julia Buchanan, Art School Africa and “ Artclub and Friends”- of course, I had to buy one!…. celebrating the clay sculpture and art of jeweler/artist Githan Coopoo, Cape Town:

Guns & Rain showed Adrian Fortuin in the SOLO section, with a site-specific drawing intervention created specially for the fair.

Zimbabwean born, Julie Taylor of Guns & Rain works with contemporary visual artists from seven African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini and Nigeria.

Hedwig Barry is one of my favourites- I was thrilled to meet her at Julie’s booth-

Anico Mostert – Ebony/Curated SOLO booth – created intriguing collage on and off the canvas!

First Floor Gallery SOLO space featured Helen Teede’s monumental red artworks…

an intimate studio preview, from Helen, with paintings in work..

And here are close details that I photographed from those powerful paintings..

Everard Read Gallery SOLO featured these delicious textures and layers of threads and paint, memories and emotions, by nomThunzi Mashalaba.

Marcus Gora and Valerie Kabov established the groundbreaking First Floor Gallery in Harare years ago and I was thrilled to find Marcus available for a wonderful chat at their main group art booth at the fair- what art insights he had.

Exhibiting artists were: Wycliffe Mundopa, Grace Nyahangare, Amanda Shingirai Mushate, Anne Zanele Mutema, Pebofatso Mokoena, Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude, Troy Makaza

So here are some real close ups, snippets and details from their amazing Zimbabwean and South African artists’ paintings on show –

Gorgeous brushstrokes from the brush of Amanda Shingirai Mushate:

Here is Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude’s fantastic work, the whole (in which I see a face!)!.. and a detail of the bananas (the nose?)..…

Pebofatso Mokoena creates otherworldly universes with his distinctive mark making – here are close ups from two paintings:

Wycliffe Mundopa (detail) and Anne Zanele Mutema:

Troy Makaza “soft” sculpture/painting – silicone infused with pigment- strangely tactile and full of storytelling – here are close ups from his larger work:

Goodman Gallery showed a magnificent large painting by Misheck Masamvu

Osart Gallery showed a large Franklyn Dzingai, cardprint and collage on canvas – here is a close up :

Wallen Mapondera always satisfies my eye for texture, such storytelling in the collages and stitched detail

In the Generations section, the MarthaFrancis exhibition (named after her two grandmothers) by Sedireng Mothibatsela of Ora Loapi Gallery rendered the force of fire into clay and canvas expressions of emotion, grief, remembrance ….

Sedireng Mothibatsela created her own versions of traditional fire kilns with bricks and even used a metal dustbin – harnessing fire and smoke to re-create culture, clay pots, smoke paintings

The ArtHARARE main section stand (with founder artist Richard Mudariki) was extremely innovative, featuring Zimbabwean photographic artists

Nothando Chiwanga

Wonai Haruperi

Lennox Makurumidze

Kudakwashe Chikwada

Martina Gruber

Tinotenda Chimuka

whose photographic works were mounted behind automotive glass windscreens, windows and accessory mirrors!!

Beware what you spot in your side mirror …!

Richard and Lin with Kuda’s image..

Martina Gruber had a powerful piece on show

More to come as I work through the multitude of impressions and memories .