Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026
Mellaney Roberts, Claire Lichtenstein, Hannalie Taute, Kamogelo Machaba, Lee-At Meyerov, Mandy Johnston, Odette Graskie and Tinyiko Makwakwa
20 - 22 February 2026
Cape Town International Convention Centre
SOLO BOOTH S8
Mellaney Roberts | Waar bloed nie loop nie
This body of work arises from an open-ended question. The making begins with contemplating my lineage, my ancestral knowledge and ultimately my becoming. Through the work, I explore themes of home, identity, land, heritage, and the collective memory of the Baviaanskloof Coloured community. These sculptures and installations build on an earlier body of work, wherein I explore the intersection of the tangible and the intangible memories that bind me to the Baviaanskloof. I explore the absence and silence of the lost and forgotten voices in shaping presence and meaning. I draw from their fragmented histories, memories, and untold stories.
In this body of work, I am the artist yet also archaeologist, I am a community member in search of an answer. Clay, as my predominant medium, is sacred and personal; it plays an important role in capturing memory. It is a transformative material through which I construct complex narratives, embodying both permanence and fragility, much like memory. Through clay, I engage with the layers of history embedded in the land and its people. I explore a sense of belonging and the spaces held by ancestral bloodlines, excavating cultural ties long forgotten. This work invites viewers to navigate these metaphorical spaces. Like the blood of the Baviaanskloof, clay shapes my sense of being.
Winner: Mellaney Roberts
See her work at Berman Contemporary, at Booth S8 in SOLO.
The artist considers this as a collective win, “with the community that I grew up with in up in Bobbejaanskloof and in a sense of identity. So, it's not just for me, but it's also about taking it back to my community, showing them the appreciation and the hard work that went into excavating their memories, identity, and what land means to us”.
The RDC Art Collection Award is awarded to the artist who aligns with the Group’s values and goals, and offers them the platform to be exhibited in one of the prominent landmark buildings of RDC’s portfolio.
MAIN SECTION BOOTH C14
Claire Lichtenstein, Hannalie Taute, Kamogelo Machaba, Lee-At Meyerov, Mandy Johnston, Odette Graskie and Tinyiko Makwakwa
This booth invites viewers into a layered, multi-sensory space where listening is not passive but attentive, tactile, and embodied. Here, listening is understood as a form of translation, a way of making sense of internal and external worlds through material, memory, gesture, and care. Rather than prioritising the auditory, this exhibition looks at how we listen through process, presence, and perception.
LIVE PERFORMANCE ART PIECE
Hannalie Taute | I’m Fine
Performance starts at 15:00 in the MAIN SECTION on Saturday 21 February
Main Section I’M FINE is a live performance by Hannalie Taute that extends the concerns of her exhibition Mother. Monster. Stitch. into live time. Centred on a single, overused phrase, “I’m fine,” the work treats reassurance not as truth, but as a social reflex used to manage discomfort, deflect concern, and smooth over situations that remain visibly unresolved. The work combines elements of wearable sculpture, restrained movement, and dry humour to explore the gap between what is said and what is shown – the pressure to appear “okay” even when the body suggests otherwise. It is a quiet, durational piece that allows audiences to observe at their own pace.