As Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) returns for its 13th edition in 2026, it does so under the theme Listen – reaffirming its position as the largest art fair on the African continent.
For many collectors, curators, and institutions, ICTAF has become an essential global meeting point, bringing together a dynamic cross-section of artists and galleries from around the world. While rooted in Cape Town, the fair now serves as a vital gateway into the broader international artistic and cultural landscape, reflecting the diversity, depth, and dialogue of contemporary practice across continents.
Engaging across borders
“Listen is an invitation to engage across borders, perspectives, and experiences,” says Fair Director Laura Vincenti.
“Our curators have meticulously built a genuinely global representation, bringing together voices from different corners of the world. Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026 is a convergence of these voices — a space where artists, galleries, and audiences are encouraged not only to see, but to listen.”
This year, 126 exhibitors from 23 cities worldwide will showcase the work of 490 artists from 44 countries across 5 continents — an extraordinary global chorus that deepens the fair’s role as a gateway to African and diaspora practices, and embodies its call to Listen.
European galleries
In recent years, an increasing number of leading European galleries have chosen Investec Cape Town Art Fair as a place to introduce their international artists to African audiences. Their presence not only enriches cross‑continental exchange but also underscores the fair’s evolution into a global institution where artistic visions from Europe, Africa, and beyond meet on equal terms.
Thirty-five exhibitors will make their Cape Town debut, joining a distinguished cohort of returning galleries whose programmes continue to shape conversations across the international art world. Together, they affirm ICTAF’s position as a truly global art fair, one that surfaces a broad spectrum of artistic voices from around the world and serves as a living gateway into broader global ecosystems.
The fair welcomes participants from new cities, including Andorra la Vella, Douala, Lugo, Lusaka, Marseille, Palermo, Santiago de Compostela, Stockholm, and The Hague, reflecting growing international curiosity about contemporary art from Africa and the distinctive, connective ecosystem ICTAF provides.
At the same time, galleries from Barcelona, Lagos, and Paris will have a particularly strong presence. These cities have played an increasingly influential role in shaping global understandings of African and diaspora art, enriching the cross‑continental dialogue for which ICTAF is renowned and bringing a dynamic mix of curatorial perspectives and artistic voices to the event.
South African galleries
Anchoring this international vision are South African galleries whose reputations continue to define contemporary art locally and globally: Stevenson, Goodman Gallery, blank projects, Southern Guild, WHATIFTHEWORLD, EBONY/CURATED, SMAC Gallery, and Eclectica Contemporary, amongst others. Their participation affirms the fair’s heritage while connecting the country’s artistic leadership with the world, underscoring Cape Town’s role as a natural gateway into the continent’s artistic networks.
Building on this foundation, the fair welcomes an expansive cohort of first-time exhibitors from across the globe, reflecting the broad reach of its programme. These new participants span both established and emerging spaces — from Barcelona’s BETA Contemporary, OOA Gallery, and Victor Lope Arte Contemporaneo to CFHILL in Stockholm, Double V Gallery in Marseille, Doyle Wham in London, and Ellen de Bruijne Projects in Amsterdam.
They are joined by Everyday Lusaka Gallery, Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea (Palermo), Galería de Arte Luisa Pita (Santiago de Compostela), Livingstone Gallery (The Hague/Berlin), Loft 3 Gallery (Harare), Logmo + Makon (Douala), NÉBOA (Lugo), O’DA Art (Lagos), Paulina Caspari (Munich), Perve Galeria (Lisbon), PSM Gallery (Berlin), The 1897 Gallery (Lagos), The Norm (Paris), The Space Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Umoja Art Gallery (Kampala), and Wunika Mukan Gallery (Lagos).
Together, these participants showcase practices that have attracted significant global attention, reinforcing ICTAF’s role as a truly international hub for contemporary art.
The global market reflects this momentum. According to research firm ArtTactic, auction sales of African-born artists totaled approximately $77.2 million in 2024. Meanwhile, Sotheby’s 2025 Modern & Contemporary African Art sale reported a 46% increase in bidder participation and set new records for emerging artists, underscoring the growing appetite for African perspectives across the art world.
Through its expanded physical footprint – which includes a new purpose‑built auditorium – and through the conversations flowing between its booths, Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026 continues to enhance the diversity of contemporary art from Africa and around the world.
On the continent, these stories converge. Here, at one of the art world’s most important meeting points with African and diaspora practices, the world is invited to pause, reflect, and listen.
See the full Investec Cape Town Art Fair exhibitor list here.
Get your Investec Cape Town Art Fair tickets here.
What: Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026
When: 20-22 February 2026
Info: www.investeccapetownartfair.co.za
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