CAPE TOWN.- The Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) announces its theme for the 2026 edition: Listen. This powerful concept will guide the fair's curated sections for the 13th edition, set to take place from 20 — 22 February 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

In an era of global turbulence and rapid change, ICTAF 2026 positions itself as a vital platform for reflection, connection, and transformation through the act of listening. In a shared statement from the fair’s team, “In a world saturated with noise, urgency and individualistic self-expression, listening is an increasingly radical act. Listening is not passive. It is an active, embodied, ethical gesture.”

The fair will feature ten distinct sections, including four curated by international art world luminaries:

• Tomorrows/Today: ‘If You Listen Carefully, The Air is Full of Laughter’ curated by Dr. Mariella Franzoni (Barcelona, Spain)

• SOLO: ‘Echoes of Humanity’ curated by Céline Seror (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

• Generations: ‘Call and Response’ curated by Tandazani Dhlakama (Toronto, Canada)

• Cabinet/: ‘Cabinet/Record’ curated by Beata America (Cape Town, South Africa)

These curated sections will complement the fair's core offerings: Main, Lookout, Editions, Connect and Capsule, the refreshed and expanded retail section. Additionally, ICTAF 2026 will debut a special Performance project, further expanding its multidisciplinary approach.

"In choosing 'Listen' as our inspiration and theme for our curated sections, we're inviting artists, galleries, collectors and visitors to engage in a profound act of openness and reciprocity," said Laura Vincenti, Director of ICTAF. "This theme encourages us to attune ourselves not just to what is said, but to the silences, the whispers, and the resonances that shape our world."

“More than just a theme, Listen is a mode of engagement and a way of being with art, with one another, and with the moment,” the fair’s team expands. “It asks artists to reflect on what it means to be heard. It challenges curators to assemble sections that cultivate attention and presence. It encourages visitors to participate sensitively in meaning-making.”

The fair's curators bring diverse global perspectives to this theme:

• Dr. Franzoni's ‘Tomorrows/Today’ section draws inspiration from Ben Okri's ‘The Famished Road,’ exploring the liminal spaces between the visible and invisible, myth and memory.

• Seror's ‘SOLO’ presentations will showcase artists who understand listening as an active, relational practice, inviting viewers to dwell in the in-between.

• Dhlakama's ‘Generations’ adopts a ‘Call and Response’ structure, highlighting intergenerational dialogues and artistic lineages.

• America's ‘Cabinet/Record’ reimagines photography as a medium for "listening" to visual narratives and preserved moments.

ICTAF 2026 promises to be a pivotal event in the global art calendar, offering a unique platform for engagement with contemporary international art through the lens of active listening and responsive creation.