.jpg)
Joburg's City Centre has many working artists' studios that are vital to the city's creative economy; 13 take part in this year's festival. Engaging with artists in their natural habitat and seeing works-in-progress alongside finished pieces enriches experiencing the work in a way that cannot be understated.
The studio is the focal point of this year's event, while workshops with artists, walkabouts, and talks will all form part of the immersive, two-day experience. Transport between spaces will be provided by shuttles, free to use when you book your ticket. There are different venues open on different days and you must register for each venue you wish to attend.
Contra.Joburg previously operated as OpenStudios.Joburg – read more about the exciting new direction here. Keep scrolling for this year's festival lineup.
Sat, May 25 from 10:30 – 17:00
11 Alexander Street Studio in Ferreirasdorp is a new addition to Contra.Joburg. Established in 2019 by Dorothee Kreutzfeldt and Nolan Oswald Denis, it's an independent, artist-led, community-sharing space.
Play Braam is the niche property development company behind Braamfontein's most playful district. Several spaces fall under their purview, including a new set of artist studios at 7 De Beer Street.
Bag Factory is one of South Africa's first collective artists' studios, operating since 1991 in an old factory in colourful Fordsburg on the edge of the City Centre. Over the years Bag Factory's 18 studio spaces have fostered the talents of some of the country's most celebrated contemporary artists.
Rand Club at 33 Loveday Street, Marshalltown, is the city's most enduring social institution and one of its finest heritage venues. Access members-only areas of the club during Contra.Joburg, home to a portion of the First Rand Art Collection as well as David Tlale's studio.
Creative Uprising Hub at Transwerke is located within the Constitution Hill precinct at Sam Hancock Street, Braamfontein. Don't let its unassuming exterior fool you; it's home to emerging visual artists, makers, and artisans changing the creative landscape of Joburg.
WLM at 7 Loveday Street, Marshalltown, partakes in Contra.Joburg with Express:On, an experimental exhibition curated by Khaya Madungandaba for emerging and established artists.
Grayscale Gallery at 33 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, is a small, urban art and street apparel store and gallery space founded by Rasty Knayles in 2006. There will be an exhibition, a street art tour, and live graffiti on the day.
Sun, May 26 from 10:30 – 17:00
Asisebenze Art Atelier at 28 Plein Street, hosts a wide range of artists who are as dynamic as the city in which they are based.
Living Artists' Emporium at the Ellis Park Tennis Courts supports grassroots emerging artists while facilitating the sales of their work to corporate and private buyers.
August House at 76 End Street, Doornfontein, is the largest studio space in Johannesburg, established in 2006. In a warren of studios, small and large, spread over several floors, you'll find a community of emerging artists and more established names living and working together, sometimes merely as neighbours and friends, and often as established art collectives too.
Oovookoo, which means 'uprising', is a hybrid studio-gallery space at 15 Hulbert Road, Village Deep, that provides affordable and accessible spaces for creatives to work out of.
Ellis House is a five-storey building at 23 Voorhout Street, Bertrams, that houses an eclectic mix of emerging and established artists.
Victoria Yards is a uniquely integrated urban complex at 16 Viljoen Street in Lorentzville that's as much about art and design as it is about social development. The complex is home to several prominent local artists including Stompie Selibe and James Delaney.
Showcasing creativity across the City Centre with its biggest edition to date, Contra.Joburg takes place on Sat, May 25 and Sun, May 26, 2024 from 10:30 – 17:00. You can start at any of the venues and work your way through; hop-on-hop-off shuttle buses come every 20 minutes or you can use an e-hailing service to move to your next chosen venue. Book your tickets here.
