The Investec Cape Town Art Fair is now in its ninth edition and was visited by more than 22,000 visitors over the weekend.
‘Diversity of the Future’ was brought to life by well-known artist Samurai Farai, whose art is distinguished by his bold, colourful style that transcends from street to cubism.
In his work he often demonstrates the psychological portraiture of himself, society and the viewer through symbols and a ‘hieroglyphic’ language he has developed. Farai’s talent for demonstrating the importance of street art by crossing the boundary into the fine art world has contributed immensely to his rise in success.
The artist with his distinct style, who is recognised across a variety of mediums incorporated his authentic individuality, while crafting a live art installation during the Art Fair showcase specifically focused on demonstrating what diversity of the future looks like.
“By taking a journey into discovering what diversity of the future looks like, being guided by the unknown, I wanted to show visitors through the ‘language’ and ‘alphabet’ that I use, that diversity is transcended through language and symbols,” said Farai. “Through the medium of a large format mural, I playfully reimagined a future where diversity takes on a new meaning – filling a blank canvas in a live setting with a sense of positivity and potential.”
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair provides a platform for collectors, galleries, curators, artists, and art journalists from around the globe to engage and create connections. The focus for its ninth edition is shared-support, collaboration, and inspiring new initiatives to ensure momentum and establish a support system amongst exhibitors.
The exhibition was hosted in the IQOS lounge, where the concept of diversity is also important. Dee Chetty, Marketing Director at Philip Morris South Africa said, “PMI is leading the transformation of the tobacco industry into one that is based on science and innovation.”
“Our aim is to create a smoke-free future; that is a future where smoke-free products that do not burn tobacco, like IQOS, replace cigarettes to the benefit of society,” he added. “No single product would be able to successfully move the world’s approximately 1 billion smokers away from cigarettes. A portfolio comprising various technologies catering to different experiences, taste preferences and affordability levels is needed – and this is where we’re heading.”
The IQOS 3 DUO represents the latest version of the flagship smoke-free device from PMI available in South Africa. It is characterised by an ergonomic and elegant design. The smoke-free product, a state-of-the-art system, involves heating the tobacco sticks, without burning the tobacco and therefore without smoke. “Design and innovation have the power to have a positive impact on the lives of people who smoke” Chetty adds.
He continues: “As a company, our priority is clear, namely, to help adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes to switch as quickly as possible to better alternatives,” he said. “To date, more than 15.3 million adult smokers in 71 countries around the world have switched to IQOS and stopped smoking playing an instrumental role in building a smoke-free future.”
