For the 2024 Investec Cape Town Art Fair  WALL presents a selection of works which trace the key aspects of the development of South African modernism from the 1940’s to the recent past.

The selection begins with examples of works by Gerard Sekoto and John Koenakeefe Mohl . Whilst Gerard Sekoto test the contemporary art establishment’s conservative norms with his particular palette, John Koenakeefe Mohl remain committed to his aesthetic of naturalism. The rethinking of representational modes can be seen in the abstracted work of Cecil Skotnes, the paintings by Robert Hodgins and in the sculptural works of Lucas Sithole and Edoardo Villa. An element of the ‘grotesque’ and ‘phantasy’ are also present and become most striking in the works of Robert Hodgins and David Brown. A selection that focus primarily on the human figure and portraiture much in keeping with Sean O’Tooles statement :

 “Figurative painting remains the medium du jour of commerce and a hallmark of the zeitgeist circa now”.

Abstraction finds its way into the South African artworks from the early 1960s and remains a key component of the contemporary art scene. The diversity of approaches showcased begin with the early ‘scapes’ by Kenneth Bakker, visual equivalents of ‘streams and tides’ through to the mystical icons of Douglas Portway and Kevin Atkinson. Narrative approaches remain a key component of South Africa’s artistic heritage. This will be showcased with a selection of works by Sam Nhelengethwa, Willie Bester, Peter Clarke and Sydney Kumalo.  The selection of works will provide viewers with a historical insight into the diversity that has constituted the South African art market in the past and laid much of the foundation for the present.