WITH just a few days to go before doors open, anticipation is building for the 13th edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair, returning to the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 20–22 February 2026. Widely recognised as the largest and most influential art fair on the continent, the fair brings together the world’s leading galleries, artists, curators and collectors for three days of discovery, exchange and encounter.
Under the 2026 thematic focus, Listen, this year’s edition places dialogue, participation, and perspective at the centre of the visitor experience. More than a showcase, the fair unfolds as a living cultural forum — one in which audiences are invited not only to view art, but to engage with the ideas, processes, and conversations that shape it.
“Last year we welcomed over 30 000 visitors,” says fair director Laura Vincenti. “This year, we’ve listened closely to how people want to experience the fair. The 2026 programme is designed to reward return visits, offering different points of entry each day — whether through a walk, a workshop, or a conversation. It’s about creating a space where curiosity is encouraged, and discovery is ongoing.”
The 2026 edition brings together 126 exhibitors from 34 cities, presenting the work of over 490 artists from across Africa and around the world. International galleries are shown alongside leading African and South African spaces, with additional curated sections including Capsule, Talks, and special project platforms expanding the fair’s scope and rhythm. Together, they position Cape Town as a vital meeting point for cross-continental exchange and global contemporary practice.
Across the weekend, guided art walks offer curated journeys through the fair, led by voices including Dr Mariella Franzoni, Céline Seror, Tandazani Dhlakama, Athi-Patra Ruga, Max Melvill, Beata America, and Anna Weylandt. Each walk proposes a different way of reading the fair — encouraging visitors to return and experience it anew.
A series of ticketed workshops provides rare access to artistic processes and interdisciplinary thinking. Highlights include Zanele Muholi: Self-Portraiture in collaboration with ORMS, Mary Sibande & Thebe Magugu: Colour and Materiality Across Disciplines, and Dan Corder: Contemporary Art Criticism and Practice — intimate, limited-capacity sessions designed for hands-on engagement.
The Talks Programme, curated by Art School Africa, embraces a conversational format that places audience participation at its centre, exploring themes ranging from cultural memory and activism to collecting, Pan-African institutional collaboration, and the global impact of locally rooted design practices.
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