Art for all

By Anji Connell, ACID+ Interior Design

Public art can add enormous value to a community's cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality. It contributes to a neighbourhood's identity, fosters community pride and generates a sense of belonging, while enhancing the quality of life for its residents and visitors. Art translates across all boundaries requiring no common language, class, or religion. It gives a voice to the voiceless, provides an outlet for telling others about their pain and struggles and their joy and celebrations.

However, successful public art is not an easy task – as summed up by the American urbanist, sociologist, organisational analyst, journalist, and people-watcher William H. (Holly) Whyte in New York City in the 1970s, "It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people; what is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished."

Public art or visual art in public spaces can be big or small; hover overhead or sit beneath your feet – there are no set rules on what it must look like or what medium or form it takes. But what it should do is heighten awareness, make us think, spark debate, and help make art accessible to everyone. It should excite, stimulate, energise, lift our spirits and our imaginations.

The success of good public art relies heavily upon the design of the public space in which it is located. Firstly, the site needs to be easily accessible with good transport links, places to park, be well maintained, very importantly, make us feel safe. It should have amenities such as seating, shade, food, and drink. It also needs to be connected to other places, as if once viewed there is nothing to do and nowhere else to go, people will not take time out to visit the works of art.

Thankfully today, there is much public art that engages and unites communities, inviting active dialogue rather than just passive observation, thereby fostering social interaction that can lead to a sense of social cohesion and pride and a sense of ownership over our parks, streets, and public institutions.

South Africa's first International Public Art Festival (IPAF) is a 10-day festival showcasing public art. Founded by BazArt co-founders Alexandre Tilmans and Sebastien, set up to

Fallen Angel Bronze by Beezy Bailey at Leeu Estate.

Betty Fox by Falko

harness the power of creativity to improve and brighten people's lives through art. The now yearly street art festival enhances neighbourhoods with large-scale murals, art classes for children, training, and opportunities for the unemployed while encouraging entrepreneurs to set up spin-off businesses such as food stalls and street art guides. It's a win-win.

South Africa has a rich history, but democracy is still fresh, so there is still a lot of healing around race and identity. However, contemporary African art has been making waves globally, drawing attention from local and international art collectors and critics.

The recent opening of the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town is a world-class museum and the largest museum, and collection of contemporary African art in the world, and the first public art space, to open in the past century, The Museum of African Contemporary Art, Al Maaden in Marrakech, and the Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar all aim to propel the African perspective to the forefront of the global art community.

Johannesburg usually plays second fiddle to Cape Town's art scene; however, Johannesburg aims to be the largest street art city in the world by 2040 and already has 460 official works, and it's believed unofficial works probably bring the number closer to 1,000. Much of the city's public art is concentrated in the Newtown Cultural Precinct with commissioned sculptures and artworks and a vibrant street art scene. The Newtown Precinct, with its rich history of biodiversity and culture, is now the centre of arts in the city of Gold. It's booming with new developments, including galleries, museums, theatres. Joburg's Braamfontein is another example of vibrant inner-city regeneration. The streets are

filled with public art installations and street art. The Maboneng precinct, Jeppestown, and Newtown are transformed through street art that encourages artists, designers, and visitors to bring the many cafés, restaurants, and art galleries. Maboneng takes its name from a

Sotho word meaning "place of light," and it has indeed brought new light to the city. Art has played a key role in Maboneng's regeneration, and it’s now Jozi's coolest neighbourhood, and South Africa's answer to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It has dozens of public artworks within a handful of easily walkable blocks around the main drag of Fox Street.

Annual art fairs in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, along with vibrant gallery scenes, have been steadily growing, and South Africa has become the continent's art and design hub. Plus, First Thursdays were developed to draw attention to the buzzing art culture in South Africa. Available in Cape Town and Johannesburg on the first Thursday of every month, tourists and locals now have the opportunity to explore cultural events and support local art talent. You can walk the streets, spending as much time as you want to at the various galleries and museums open late in the evenings.

Gardens, too, are an art form that has been especially important during our post covid times. The Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden a botanical paradise nestled within a dramatic mountain setting, has expansive grounds spanning six acres, showcasing over sixty monumental pieces by the artist. Including his larger-than-life bronze wild cats, muscular, masculine torsos, and female figurative forms are all carefully positioned within the gorgeous vistas he has sculpted from the land.

Art is also an integral part of the Cape Winelands experience. Wine farms offer great wines and incredible art collections that enable more people to admire, appreciate, and criticise art without the intimidating formality of visiting a gallery. Everard Reed's new Art Gallery and Sculpture Gallery at Leeu Estate in Franschhoek focuses on monumental sculpture in the breathtaking gardens and vineyards. The Gallery at Grande Provence is very well-known by art enthusiasts for showcasing some of South Africa's finest established and emerging artists with regular exhibitions held in the gallery and gardens of sculptures, ceramics, and photographs. Delaire Graff Estate showcases Laurence Graff's personal art collection, showcasing some of South Africa's finest contemporary artists, and Spier Wine Farm has one of the largest contemporary South African art collections. They regularly incorporate performance, installation, drawing, sculpture, photography, video, and film, from young, highly talented artists – emerging and established.

Public art, street art, contemporary urban art festivals, and pop-ups are blossoming worldwide, bringing our cities to life, making them places we want to live in and explore.

Gorilla Smoking Cigar by Banksy