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Artists break new ground

For six years, the Turbine Art Fair has been taking the pomp and ceremony out of the art industry for collectors and art lovers alike. It caps the price of all artworks on sale at R50 000 including VAT, and presents the works in a fun and undaunting way. The fair returns to Turbine Hall in Johannesburg next weekend, with RMB as headline sponsor, so if you’re looking to invest in art this is a great, non-intimidating place to start. We chatted to four people involved in the fair.

GLYNIS HYSLOP Founder of RMB Turbine Art Fair

I love the fun of the fair. It has a great energy and the diversity of the artists and attendees reminds me that Johannesburg is a world-class African city.

I’m most looking forward to The Forum Company’s graduate show, which is a collation of the best of the graduates from all the universities in South Africa. I love to buy artists at the beginning of their careers.

CAROLYNNE WATERHOUSE Fair sponsor, RMB

We are particularly excited about the selection of young artists being presented at the RMB Talent Unlocked exhibition. There will be 15 new artists to meet, whose range of creative energy will make this collaborative “show and tell” magnetic and memorable. I look forward to placing a red dot on a piece or two for RMB’ s art collection.

I’ll join the walkabout with John Vlismis called “Artworks that tickle my fancy”. As a renowned comedian, John’s choice of pieces to discuss promises to be delightfully different to what would normally attract my attention.

MUSA N NXUMALO Curator of the graduate exhibition

Keneilwe Mokoena is an up-and-coming artist I have my eye on. She has a bright future and is likely to do great things in the next few years. She will be exhibiting with the graduate painters this year, and it’s a perfect platform to launch her. Other than the art, I can’t wait for the talks and simply to people watch. It’s always exciting to see the growth of art enthusiasts, especially young collectors.

RUZY RUSIK Curator at LL Editions Gallery

The fair showcases the different demographics of people in the city with a variety of economic backgrounds and cultural histories. It’s not just another art fair, but a melting pot of ideas that go beyond the fair itself.

I’m excited to see David Koloane. I am curating his show “This landscape. This landscape! The Quintessential Metaphor For Life” which celebrates his 80 years. I’m excited because of the layers of symbolism that form his final image. He has a way of calling for a deeper consciousness of the world we live in.

The RMB Turbine Art Fair takes place from Thursday July 12 (VIP opening) to Sunday July 15 at Turbine Hall, Newtown. For more info and tickets visit www.turbineartfair.co.za