Writing Art History Since 2002

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Since 2012 the FNB Joburg Art Fair has been a part of the Johannesburg Arts Alive International Festival. This year the festival, which turns a symbolic 21, will take place from 31 August to 9 September across different venues in Johannesburg.

A highlight of this year’s Arts Alive festival is South Meets South – An Evening with the Masters, a one-night only performance, on 7 September. A meeting of jazz legends, the concert is a rare opportunity to witness Hugh Masekela perform classical jazz, alongside Brazilian musical icon Egberto Gismonti and US piano veteran Larry Willis. 

Larry Willis is undoubtedly one of the finest jazz pianists and composers of our time. He has played on more than 300 records and has performed and recorded with greats like Dizzie Gillespie. He enjoyed several years as pianist for Blood, Sweat & Tears as well as groups led by Nat Adderley and Roy Hargrove respectively.

Egberto Gismonti is one of Brazil’s most skilled and versatile instrumentalists. Drawing his inspiration from sources as diverse as the sounds of the indigenous rhythms of the Amazon peoples, as well as popular Brazillian sounds featuring a range of traditional guitars, Egberto has lent his skills to a wide range of projects and participated in countless collaborations, over and above his own creative output. He’s scored music for 28 movie productions, 27 ballet performances, and 11 theatrical performances – and has 65 album releases of his own under his belt.

Another exciting project is that for the 2013 FNB Joburg Art Fair, Arts Alive, City of Johannesburg and the National School of the Arts have created Bramble Fountain, an ecological landscape conceived by artist Neil Le Roux. The installation will be presented on the grass bank above the pavement on Melle Street and will provide a dramatic and beautiful entrance into Braamfontein. The artist has been working on the project together with the scholars of the National School of the Arts, in a workshop environment. This installation will be presented to the City of Johannesburg during the Arts Alive Festival. What’s more, a “making of” the project will be hosted in a dedicated booth at this year’s FNB Joburg Art Fair.

Finally, as part of the 2013 focus on photography at the FNB Joburg Art Fair, Artlogic has partnered with Arts Alive to bring a selection of photos from the 2013 LagosPhoto Festival in Nigeria, to Johannesburg. The exhibition, Phantasms of the Non-City, looks at how the rapidly developed urban centres in Africa and the technical advance of photography have transformed our sense of place in a globally connected world. The exhibition will be presented at the Art Fair, while digital previews will be screened as part of Arts Alive at the following events: The Mail and Guardian Literary Festival, from 30 Aug to 1 September at the Market Theatre, and at Zoo Lake’s Jazz on the Lake, on 1 September.

The FNB Joburg Art Fair is proud to be a part of the Arts Alive International Festival. For more info on the 2013 Fair visit www.fnbjoburgartfair.co.za and for more on Arts Alive visit www.artsalive.co.za

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