Business Art STRAUSS & CO

Strauss & Co announces exciting February 2023 programme

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• New Office and Exhibition Space now open in Cape Town

• New Pan-African auction showcasing art from the African Continent

• New Collaboration with Guest Curators to support Project

• Two Public Exhibitions to coincide with the Investec Cape Town Art Fair programme (17-19 February)

Strauss & Co, the leading auction house on the African continent, has opened a new artistic office space in Cape Town this year at Brickfield Canvas, the creative hub and technology campus located at 35 Brickfield Road, Woodstock, Cape Town.

“We are excited to further grow our operations in Cape Town as Strauss & Co continues to welcome clients from across Africa and the world to enjoy and celebrate art, objects, wine and jewellery across many different collecting categories,” says Frank Kilbourn, Chairperson, Strauss and Co. “It is our mission to provide a convening centre for all who enjoy living with art and this fantastic location will help us further our activities both in the community, in the city, in the country and on the continent as well as providing to our global clients.”

The inaugural exhibition programme in February will unveil two special projects: a public exhibition showcasing the works of art to be offered in a new auction format, Curatorial Voices: Modern and Contemporary Art from Africa, to take place on 28 February 2023, and a non-commercial exhibition devoted to Ezrom Legae and Sydney Kumalo, in anticipation of the first ever catalogue raisonné for these two internationally celebrated South African modernist sculptors, titled Sculptures of Sydney Kumalo & Ezrom Legae and to be launched later on in 2023.

Strauss & Co’s new pan-African auction, Curatorial Voices: Modern and Contemporary Art from Africa, will feature collectable art by pioneering modernist and trailblazing contemporary artists selected by five leading curators from important art centres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Early highlights include works by contemporary artists Pierre-Christophe Gam, Cyrus Kabiru, Zanele Muholi, Simphiwe Ndzube, Thierry Oussou, Athi-Patra Ruga, Cinga Samson and Tafadzwa Tega.

“Curatorial Voices: Curatorial Voices: Modern and Contemporary Art from Africa is a celebration of African achievement,” says Bina Genovese, Managing Executive, Strauss & Co. “The auction will present works by renowned African artists to the public at a time when Cape Town, a global art capital, is the centre of attention. With our proven competencies handling art from southern Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, I have no doubt that this new sale will broaden dialogue among artists and collectors from across the African continent and beyond, as well as provide networking opportunities for art professionals.”

ABOUT CURATORIAL VOICES: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART FROM AFRICA

With the aim of promoting greater panAfrican collaboration, the sale gives a voice not only to great South African art but also to art from various other cities across the continent. This new pan-African auction by Strauss & Co will be held in Cape Town on 28 February 2023 and will feature collectable art by pioneering modernist and trailblazing contemporary artists from Africa. In addition to work sourced in South Africa, Strauss & Co has invited five curators from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Egypt, Kenya and Zimbabwe to select work for the auction. The curators are:

• DRC: Dana Endundo Ferreira, Founder and CEO Pavilion54, a digital platform for modern and contemporary African art. ‘With Pavillon54, I want to make “African” Art a cornerstone of the global art market and contribute to the development of a strong ecosystem that can support its sustainable development globally.’ Says Endundo Ferreira

• Egypt: Heba Elkayal, Independent Curator and Art Historian, based between Cairo and London specializing in modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art. ‘Opportunities for Egyptian artists to be presented alongside other African contemporaries are few and far between, and I believe the works selected will engage in an important and timely dialogue with other artists and artworks from the rest of the Continent.’

• Kenya: Danda Jaroljmek, Director of Circle Art Agency, the first professional arts advisory service to collectors and art institutions in East Africa, and Ann Kariuki, Gallery Manager, Circle Art Gallery, a Nairobi-based gallery promoting contemporary art from east Africa.

‘Our intention is to create a strong and sustainable art market for East African artists. Through group and solo exhibitions, as well as participation in international art fairs, the gallery has increased visibility for established and emerging artists, both internationally and at home. Working closely with regional and international collectors and curators, our online platforms to continue promoting challenging and thought-provoking contemporary art from East Africa.’

• Zimbabwe: Valerie Kabov, Director, First Floor Gallery Harare, a leading independent contemporary gallery based in Harare.

‘First Floor Gallery Harare since its founding has been committed to supporting and developing emerging contemporary art in Zimbabwe and on the continent as well as building up the ecology of our art sectors from art education to secondary markets. For us collaboration with Strauss & Co on this project is an opportunity to engage constructively and proactively with the auction sector in a way which can articulate a message of quality and merit. The proceeds from this auction will be used to support our residency and emerging artist development projects, to help introduce synergies between the market and the creators.’

• South Africa, Kimberley Cunningham, Founder Cunningham Contemporary, a global art advisory and curatorial agency based between Cape Town, London & New York.

‘Since launching Cunningham Contemporary my mission has been to support the artists and art market players by acting as a disruptor and engaging in meaningful collaboration. Collaborating with Strauss & Co on a Contemporary sale that is for the continent on the continent, opens up conscious crosscontinental dialogue as well as shifting the traditional power balances within the market. Through a pioneering curatorial vision, we hope to empower the artists and patrons through the auction platform and continue to build upon and strengthen the art ecosystem from within.

The Curatorial Voices auction preview opens to the public on Monday 13 February, with the live virtual auction taking place on Tuesday, 28 February at Strauss & Co’s new Cape Town offices.

For more information and to register and browse the auction, visit the Strauss & Co website: www.straussart.co.za

An extraordinary collection of South African Contemporary art