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January 28, 2022
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IPAF takes it to the streets
A giant penguin waddles across a wall. A massive pangolin curls up on the side of a building. Neon cartoon characters blow thought bubbles from a warehouse window. These are just some of the 130-odd street murals created for the vibrant International Public Art Festival (IPAF) in Cape Town, the largest event of its kind in Africa. Take a stroll through the city, and you’re bound to see more ...
Words: Karen Rutter, Editor-In-Chief, Weekend Special Images: Marie Marlow
This year’s IPAF will run from 23 to 27 February, and the organisers once again promise to ‘go large’ by adding multi-storey public murals to the skyline of the CBD, this time mainly around Harrington Street. The theme is Humanity, and the artworks will serve to reflect that “despite all the hard challenges each person individually faces, we are all connected and together we rebuild, reconnect, create, and remember our humanity,” according to the organisers.
Now in its sixth year, the festival has already made its mark on the walls of Cape Town – particularly Woodstock and Salt River, but also parts of the CBD and Sea Point – in a creative and thought-provoking display of public art by both local and international contributors. Each year there is an open call for artists to apply to take part, and contributors have come from countries including Italy, Kenya, Belgium, France, Brazil, the USA and more, as well as from all over South Africa. Names like Zezao, Keng, WOTS, Anthea Missy and Serge One have all ‘arted up’ the streets of the city, with works that range from the ultra-realistic to the uber-fantastical. The majority of the artists are extremely experienced in street and public art, with serious reputations (and CVs) to their names.
During the festival, the public is invited to watch the artists at work creating massive murals, as well as to take part in interactive street tours, story-telling sessions and other forms of entertainment.
REDISCOVER YOUR CITY
“Everyone, from young to older people, comes to the festival each year,” says Dennis Molewa, who’s the self-admitted “social media geek” (Marketing and Communication Manager) for Baz–Art, the organisation that founded and runs IPAF. “Some people have never been through Salt River or Woodstock before but they feel safe walking with other people or a guide. We allow locals to rediscover their own cities. And then the beautiful thing is they come back,” he says.
Dennis explains that while graffiti (which some people confuse with public art) can be acknowledged as a powerful activist tool and art form with a long history (sometimes associated with vandalism), what happens with IPAF is a far more formal process. “An art piece that is not in touch with its environment is out of place,” Dennis explains.
“All proposed works have to be in line with the theme, they must be public friendly, and they must be approved by the City of Cape Town,” he says. Perhaps more importantly, as much of the festival artwork has been located in suburbs, there has to be sensitivity to the community.
“All sketches must (obviously) be approved by the person on whose property it will appear, as well as their neighbours – you can’t expect people to live with something they don’t like,” says Dennis. “Also, we’re talking about areas with rich histories – Woodstock and Salt River are some of the oldest neighbourhoods in Cape Town. You can’t have artists coming in from all over the world, painting things not related to the historical context.”
To this end, the festival is committed to meaningful engagement with the surrounding communities, and is in consultation with cultural institutions.
This year they plan to immerse all participating artists in a cultural and historical training workshop, before they even start their artworks, to allow them to be inspired by the heritage of the environment they will be painting in. “An art piece that is not in touch with its environment is out of place,” he explains.
