FNB JOBURG ART FAIR 2018

MOVART is one of the international galleries selected for this year’s 11th edition of the FNB Joburg Art Fair. The fair, curated by Amy Ellenbogen, will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, this September 7-9. More than 45 galleries from 14 countries in Africa, Europe and the Americas were selected to participate in the 2018 edition, with a particularly strong representation from the African continent through exhibitors from Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

MOVART Gallery, who centers its work and exhibitions around African contemporary artists from Portuguese-speaking countries, will show works from three artists: TOY BOY (Angola), MÁRIO MACILAU (Mozambique) and RENÉ TAVARES (São Tomé and Príncipe). These artists will present different visions on the same reality – coming from distinct countries and contexts, yet with similar historical pasts that tie them together.

FNB Joburg Art Fair is one of the most established contemporary art fairs to be held on the continent, thus playing a crucial role in the support and investment in the African and African Diaspora contemporary art market. As in previous editions, the presence of leading international gallerists, artists, collectors, curators and scholars is expected.

Toy Boy (Luanda, 1978) grew up in post independent Angola.  His life story overlaps with Angola’s intense recent history, from the civil war years to the dramatic urban transformation of Luanda.

The angolan artist defines his artistic style as a visual documentary of the urbanization of Luanda, stating, “If you really want to live your life as part of a cultural movement, move to a big city like Luanda.” Nevertheless, the artist is fully aware of his city’s weaknesses, “Urban centers can easily disintegrate family and community, with each individual out for their own!”

Mário Macilau (Maputo) began photographing in 2003 and by 2007 had dedicated himself solely to his practice, when he traded his mother’s cellphone for his first camera.

Mario specialized his work in long-term projects, focusing on the working, living and environmental conditions of socially isolated groups.

Currently based between Lisbon and São Tomé, René Tavares was born in São Tomé and Principe and studied at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Dakar, Senegal.

His work is inspired from a theatrical recreation of medieval court adopted by the people of São Tomé e Príncipe, known as the Tchiloli. This cultural practice became a symbol of resistance against the domination of Portuguese colonial rule. The Tchiloli theater is considered one of the richest cultural traditions of São Tomé e Príncipe, currently a candidate for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.