Every year in February, Cape Town gets excited for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. The buzz from creatives and art enthusiasts alike is palpable, as we see international and local artists come in for the event. The annual event is renowned as a leading destination in Africa to buy local and international art.

About the Investec Cape Town Art Fair

Buyers from around the world interact with galleries and exciting emerging and established artists, creating important global networks. The fair showcases pieces curated from local and international artists, allowing us to create a platform for African artists to share their work with the world. It is Investec’s privilege to play a role in the promotion of arts and culture in South Africa, a country as diverse as the art displayed at this year’s fair.

Investec believes that art has a value beyond wealth. It is a human investment that breaks down barriers and unites people through the universal language of an appreciation of creativity.

Investec invites you to not only enjoy the art but also to appreciate what art can do for those who get the opportunity to create it.

About the Investec campaign: Art is a human investment

Investec has been a proud sponsor of Cape Town Art Fair for the last three years, they believe that art has a value beyond wealth. Investec’s focus this year is on art and education.

Studies have shown that art develops critical thinking ability in children—arguably one of the most valuable skills in the modern economy. Despite this, art is often the first subject to be dropped in schools where resources are stretched.

Artist, Greg Pentopoulis, has created an installation for the wall of the Investec lounge, as well as a chandelier and sofa, made entirely out of individual art supplies and stationery. No single item is permanently fixed. All items have been painstakingly hand-placed into a custom-made matrix, so as to preserve the integrity of the material.

After the art fair, these installations will be disassembled, and every pencil and pot of paint will be delivered into the eager hands of a child at one of our charity partners that appreciate the importance of art in education and child development.

Artist Profile: Greg Pentopoulis

Greg is the owner of 5 Birds 3D Design that specialises in translating an idea/concept into a 3-dimensional reality. They incorporate modern CNC, laser cutting and 3D printing technology as well as traditional fabrication methods working in metals, wood, acrylics and composites. More recently, they have expanded into high-end guitar and musical instrument manufacture.

Greg believes that creativity should not be seen as a separate entity in education.

“Creativity and creative thinking are integral in all aspects and disciplines from the sciences and mathematics to languages and social endeavours,” he said.

Items Used To Make Pentopoulis Installations

Pentopoulis’s three art pieces uses 15,224 art materials, that took over 250 hours to produce and have an approximate combined weight of 230kgs

o   800 pieces of chalk

o   552 coloured pencils

o   65 erasers

o   45 flexi-rulers

o   44 bottles of glue

o   500 tubs of paint

o   160 sheets of paper

o   9,000 sketching pencils

o   50 pairs of scissors

o   160 craft knives

o   500 sharpeners

o   648 wax crayons

o   2,000 paintbrushes

o   700 felt tip pens

All of these stationary will be donated to three charities that are focused on social development.

Lalela: An inspired Cape Town-based initiative that provides educational arts for at-risk youth to spark creative thinking and awaken the entrepreneurial spirit.

Songo.info:  A passionate social development programme based in Kayamandi that uses sport and education to provide opportunities for children to play, grow and learn.

Ikamva Labantu: An organisation wholeheartedly committed to creating sustainable socio-economic change in Cape Town’s township communities.

If you want to see more about the creation of Pentopoulis Installation you can click on the video below.

When & Where?

The 2020 Investec Cape Town Art Fair will take place from 14-16 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Tickets cost R160 online (early bird tickets are R130) and door tickets cost R190.

Book via Webtickets

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