An art gallery inside a hotel: The Jaffer Modern Art Gallery highlights Africa’s greatness

A new modern art gallery inside a hotel offers the best in Pan-African art.

The Jaffer Modern Art Gallery is situated at the new, swanky and tech savvy Vib Best Western Cape Town Hotel in Green Point.

Hotels are now finding new ways of remaining innovative and relevant and this Cape Town hotel is at the forefront of putting art on the hospitality agenda. The Jaffer Modern Art Gallery brings the best of Pan-African art and the continent’s artists to the forefront, pushing the narrative of greatness in Africa.

With over 80 portraits from the opening show at the gallery, the debut exhibition is entitled Gathering: A Community of Portraits, which showcases the many faces of Africa.

“This first exhibition aims to showcase a diverse outpouring of creativity,” says the show’s guest curator, Margie Murgatroyd of Africa Nova.

“After seeking out artists from across the continent and looking beyond, to the African diaspora, [we have] selected works hailing from as far afield Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and right across South Africa, from KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng. As a result, the new show makes for fascinating viewing,” Murgatroyd continues.

The artists have created artwork that are particularly linked to the theme of the exhibition. “The theme refers to the deep human need to congregate and the desire to commune. It is about our diversity, cultures and common humanity,” says gallery director, Shafina Jaffer.

The gallery offers a collage of work, from paintings to photography as well as sculptures, with artists such as Cecil Skotnes and Peter Clarke, and contemporary artists such as Diane Victor, Colbert Mashile, Clare Menck, Koloki Nyamai, Ed Suter, Polly Alakija, Erise Silke and dozens more, including the gallery’s own director, who happens to be an artist herself.

In the spirit of promoting African artists, the gallery’s mission is to bring forward more Pan-African voices. “Our goal is to serve as a platform that raises the profile of African art on the global stage. We are confident that our extensive network of buyers, combined with a programme of curated exhibitions, will enable us to achieve exactly that,” says Jaffer.

Gathering: A Community of Portraits is open to the public and runs until 28 February 2021.

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