Canvas City

IS GRAFFITI ART? JOBURG IS AN ARGUMENT IN THAT DEBATE, AND THEN SOME

Cities are fast-moving, few faster than Joburg; there’s a time and place for past masters, but it’s not here and now. This is a world of contemporary, bang-up-tothe-second art. It’s hard-wired into the city’s DNA.

Jozi’s walls are vast canvases for the many urban artists who’ve made the streets their studios. Newtown’s hotspots are under the M1 highway and along Gwigwi Mrwebi and Pim streets; new murals crop up often – look for Dbongz Mahlati’s Jazz Legends series.

Across town, in Maboneng and Jewel City, Fox Street is a wide, walkable openair gallery, and on Van Beek Street there are Nelson Makamo’s brightly coloured portraits of local children.

Heading north, Braamfontein is an outpost of hip (and hipsters). Start at Grayscale Gallery, a street art gallery. If it’s Saturday, hit up The Playground on Juta Street. On Melle Street, Hannelie Coetzee’s Nzunza is a 10-storey-high portrait made from more than 2 000 ceramic plates and inspired by the history and culture of the Ndzundza (orNzunza) Ndebele people.

Take the city’s pulse at FNB Art Joburg, 2–4 September at the Sandton Convention Centre, home to Africa’s eminent and emerging artists and galleries. There’re six sections – Hub, Max, Etc, Org, Lab and Aux – all with their own refinements.

And then take a walk. Open City (25 August–9 September) gathers artists, curators and culture producers running a variety of programmes to get people outside and engaging with the city; think art, music, performance and food experiences scattered across Joburg.artjoburg.com