Big event. Small feeling. That was my overriding impression of the 19th edition of FNB Art Joburg. Which is awkward, because there was plenty to see. Lots of good work, serious galleries, strong artists.
And yet, somehow, the fair felt oddly underwhelming. For me. And only for me, I hope.
I can't quite put my finger on why.
The vernissage was packed, Friday brought the schoolchildren and the weekend saw the usual stream of visitors. But outside the Sandton Convention Centre, you could be forgiven for thinking nothing was happening. There were minimal banners and street posters across Sandton.
"I couldn't find it. Last time I was here, Maude Street was plastered with pole banners alerting visitors to the fair," said Ursi van der Herten, visiting from Barcelona.
Finding the fair was only the first challenge. Once inside, you had to descend two levels.
The first floor down was the AUX or the talks section, which was largely deserted and could do with more programming, some art on its walls and, most importantly, its own bar.
The talks were forgettable even though some had some big names that included Mikhael Subotzky, Letta Mbulu, Caiphus Semenya, Roger Ballen and more. There was no clear direction, just streams of thought.
Then there was the actual fair.
Five-thousand square metres. Fifty gallery booths. Not a single toilet in sight on this floor. To relieve yourself, you had to leave the venue, surrender your glass at the door and go upstairs to find a loo. How is this even an oversight?
The entrance did its job. Brazilian artist Paulo Nazareth's Indlela, featuring a car filled with amadumbe, is unmissable. I initially thought it was an ANC car, judging by the colours and the sheer volume of amadumbe/food in it, reminiscent of oohlohlesakhe beANC (wealth hoarders of the ANC).
Then came the big four galleries under BMW MAX, occupying their central islands.
"I am not sure that the layout is the most conducive to an art fair. It obviously benefits the big names, which centre them in their islands in the middle of the fair, while the rest of us hug the periphery," remarked one gallerist, who had an impressive small booth but asked not to be named.
But perhaps being on the periphery was not such a bad thing. I found myself noticing more things there. And that's where most boozers lingered. The middle was easy to miss; along the edges, you entered booths almost one by one.
The ARC section, dedicated to artists and works that challenge convention, was particularly strong. White River Gallery, WORLDART and Graham Contemporary all delivered. Almost every Michael Selekane work was sold, with his highest-priced piece notching R165 000.
The LAB section, focused on emerging and hybrid spaces, also had some interesting smaller galleries.
For Vela Projects, a newish Cape Town gallery making its FNB Art Joburg debut, the fair went well.
"Our aim was to introduce Songezo Zantsi's practice to a new market while also expanding the gallery's network and building relationships with collectors and curators," said the gallery's manager Zimasile Mjokozeli.
Then, on Saturday, the same gallery covered its entire booth space in black plastic bags for Khanya Zibaya's performance work Ukuzila. That was memorable and confusing all at once.
I mention this because, unlike previous years, this was the only performance piece that happened at this year's fair. One. How?
I also attended an Ashraf Jamal-guided walkabout. He seemed less energised than usual, his voice hoarse from the flu but his love for abstraction and materiality has seemingly quadrupled.
I need Jamal to sit me down and explain Unathi Mkonto's works. It is clearly a big deal. I did, however, agree with him on Gaelen Pinnock's sculptures.
Overall, this year's FNB Art Joburg featured more paintings and material-based pieces (read: materiality if you are academically inclined). Less sculpture. Less sound art. Just one performance over three days, from 3 September to 6 September.
That said, there was also much that I liked. I liked a lot, actually.
Suburbia Contemporary's Jet Snaith works caught my eye, particularly her painting of her mother.
Valerie Desmore's The Hunger at the Johannesburg Art Gallery booth stayed with me. So did Sotirios Miltovanos's Brother from Another Mother at WORLDART. The Kumalo | Turpin gallery booth also stood out, I even went as far as visiting the gallery for Nathaniel Sheppard III's Pickpocketed Inheritance exhibition opening.
Mark Rautenbach's Yesterdays at Everard Read was something else. Johannes Phokela's contemporary Western paintings at Eclectica stood out, while Astrid Dahl's bronze sculpture at Candice Berman Gallery took the cake. It was the sort of work you immediately imagine owning.
Other artists whose works stayed with me: Fhatuwani Mukheli, Themba Sibeko, Lady Skollie (Laura Windvogel), Nathan Vuuren, Kamva Matuis, Jake Aikman, Katlego CL Twala and Lindokuhle Sobekwa.
At Blank Projects, I was drawn to the abstractions by Kemang Wa Lehulere and Donna Kukama, alongside Kyle Morland.
"We had a decent fair. We didn't shoot the stars but we did okay," said Blank Projects associate director Thobile Ndenze.
And perhaps "decent" is the word.
There were also hidden William Kentridge and Santu Mofokeng pieces near the food stands. I almost missed them.
Gallery F, tucked into the GIF section, had an impressive collection of black-and-white photography, including a rare photograph of Nelson Mandela priced at just over R700 000 and one of Miriam Makeba at R200 000. Many of the photographers on show there are deceased, with their work being revived through the Photographic Archival and Preservation Association of South Africa.
I was also glad to catch up with 2026 FNB Art Prize winner Kelebogile Marope. She laughed off the controversy surrounding her iron-based works and allegations of similarities to Usha Seejarim's work.
"I grew up in a home with irons too! In fact, my dad used to do all the ironing! Irons mean something very special to me too!"
The resemblance is there, shame. But I did not get the sense that plagiarism was intended.
Hopefully the two artists can one day sit down over coffee and laugh this off.
The bigger issue for me was the experience of the fair.
There is an opportunity to make FNB Art Joburg more experiential. The individual booths are doing their jobs but programming was just off-beat. Something was missing this year.
The marketing could also have been stronger. No one I know in Johannesburg knew about this art fair. I did not see anything close to the pre-event visibility of previous years. Perhaps, they need a bigger team to work on this. And treat the media better.
Let me end on a positive note.
Hombakazi Mazaleni, the leading content creator and former Top 5 Miss South Africa contestant, was my VIP plus-one this year.
"It was my first time going to the Joburg Art Fair. I've only gone to the Cape Town Art Fair. Forgive me. There is a massive difference. Just from the people who were there, what they wore and the vibe. You could tell that Joburg is the cultural capital of South Africa. Africa at large.
"My highlights were the car with amadumbe. That was really cool. Seeing East London's Norman Catherine's work was also cool. And meeting Dion Chang during the opening night was also a highlight for me! I actually enjoyed the Joburg Art Fair and I look forward to doing it again!"
Perhaps that is the fairest assessment. There was good work. There were good artists. There were good galleries.
It just needed a little more fair to become good.