Call for proposals, CAPE 09 – deadline 30 October 2008

The CAPE AFRICA PLATFORM (CAPE) is a groundbreaking cultural project located in Cape Town, South Africa. CAPE aims to culturally connect Cape Town, South Africa, Africa and the Diaspora by creating a contemporary African art event – rooted in the local but global in impact.

CAPE is seeking multiple proposals from artists for CAPE 09, its second biennale exhibition of contemporary African Culture, to take place from 2 May till 19 June 2009. Please download our 1-minute video if you are interested.

CAPE 09 is about life today: the people, the connections and networks they make up – from creatively understanding new media, to analyzing how questions of colonialism have been deeply transformed by networked society.

CAPE 09 seeks to explore networks that accentuate the contemporary characteristics of Africa and provide a stage for communications between communities and citizens activities.

The narrative of the event is initiated from the city of Cape Town itself. The city as a network requires a re-imagining of how we move and engage with each other. Artists are therefore asked to propose public interactions rather than exhibitions, and to intervene or present their works in a series of pre-selected networked spaces that represent the every day that is our common ground: venues and sites, both public and private, along the axis Church Square (CAPE’s office/gallery space) – Metrorail Station, through Parliament and Plein Street. Potential satellite exhibition sites are Lookout Hill, Khayelitsha and the CAPE’s Arts Awareness Programme areas Nyanga, Manenberg and Klapmuts.

For its second biennale CAPE has been working with a team of five young curators. In addition to their proposals CAPE is currently seeking proposals for small and medium-sized interactions through this call.

CAPE aims at a local audience, particularly addressing Cape Town’s youth.

Proposals for CAPE 09 may pre-empt (larger or follow-up) events for CAPE 2010 (May – July 2010).

Proposals must include artists’ biographies, venue/site description (in case this forms part of the proposal) and detailed logistic and budgetary information.

Deadline for proposals: 30 October 2008

Proposals may be posted to PO Box 15806, Vlaeberg 8018 or be hand-delivered to 8 Spin Street, Cape Town 8000.

For more information call 27-21-461 2325 or write to info [at] capeafrica.org

CAPE reserves the right to select or refuse any submission, even not to select any.