Saturday, March 27

It's the first official day of the art fair, and the talk around the media table is about what a washout the opening night afterparty was. It was all supposed to happen at the Monarch Hotel in Rosebank, but when partygoers found that the cheapest wine at the Monarch was R220 a bottle, they predictably, moved on.

Looking at ArtHeat correspondent Matthew Blackman behind his shades, it's clear that other party venues were more hospitable ...


An equaly beautiful pair of eyes is to be seen on Barend de Wet's Insincere Object with Insincere Title. This painted bronze cast from a knitted creation of Barend's has knitting ball eyes, painted in a shade of green that used to be reserved for public lavatories, but that Barend has had specially mixed to a hue now known as Barend de Wet green.



Barend de Wet’s knitted bronze object

On the Centre for Contemporary Art (Lagos) stand, Moroccan artist Safaa Erruas is showing delicate small works which are almost white on white, utilising fines wire, drops of silicone, pins, and pricked paper surfaces. Luckily, Safaa brought these small works with her in her suitcase, as the large works she was hoping exhibit got stuck in transit somewhere ...