Cape Town - International art organisation BazArt is gearing up to host its biggest International Public Art Festival (IPAF) next month in a comeback event after two years of minimised festivals due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival, the sixth edition, will take place from February 23 to 27 in the heart of Cape Town’s iconic CBD, a new prime location chosen to showcase the talent of both up-and-coming and renowned artists.
Baz-Art spokesperson Denis Molewa said: “IPAF is one of the biggest events on the African continent. It’s free to the public and offers people an exclusive experience, from being able to interact with artists to watching massive-sized murals being created live. IPAF murals will be larger than ever, created on multi-storey canvases.
“We will also be hosting other engaging initiatives in the bustling vicinity of Harrington Street through our partnerships with surrounding social, tourist and hospitality businesses and cultural institutions.”
The theme of the week-long show will be centred around the concept of humanity. “We wanted to create something special this year, especially after everything we have been through over the past two years.
“So in planning this year’s IPAF, we focused on creating bridges and connections to celebrate community and art. Adding that all participating artists had been on the socio-economic, cultural and historical context of the environment where they will be creating artworks.
“We understand that it’s an important part of the festival because it honours the potent cultural and historical context of the chosen location and comes out in the artworks," Molewa said.
Baz-Art co-founder and owner Alexander Tilmans said: “With the support of the city, province and national government, we are excited to see events such as IPAF position Cape Town as a global street art hub in Africa while showcasing local talent and culture on an international platform.
“IPAF 2022 will be a testament to how public art can create connection and cohesion within our communities by reminding us about our shared humanity, which is now more important than ever.”
IPAF 2022 will also feature exclusive, intimate art tours to give the public knowledge of the inspiration behind the creations.