From opera ballads echoing across the Nelson Mandela Bridge at sunset to surprise ballet performances at Ellis House Art Studios – our Tuesday veered wildly off-script in the best possible way for the media launch of CONTRA.Joburg (Tue, Aug 19). That’s the magic of this initiative: Where "expect the unexpected" isn't just a motto, it's practically a guarantee, as the festival's founder Sara Hallatt loves to remind us.
For those who don't know, CONTRA.Joburg is the city's biggest open studios arts festival – turning Joburg's City Centre into a sprawling, creative playground. Over two days, more than 170 artists across 13 venues, from Bag Factory Artist Studios and August House to Victoria Yards – fling open their doors, inviting the public to peek behind the canvas, chat to artists mid-process, and explore art in its most raw, unfiltered forms. Beyond simply showcasing art, the festival puts money directly into artists’ pockets.
As the name suggests, ‘Contra’ goes against the grain of what you might expect from an art festival. Keep reading for some dispatches from the launch, and you'll need no further convincing.
Launching CONTRA.Joburg 2025
STOP 1: VINTAGE VANGUARD AT STEPHAN WELZ AND CO
We were in the company of close to 50 journalists from TV, radio, print, and online – a set of creatives, thinkers, and writers who have seen much in this city, and are perhaps not the easiest to surprise. And yet, that was fully the intention of the launch for CONTRA.Joburg.
Our explorations began at Stephan Welz and Co to view the brilliant group exhibition, Vintage Vanguard, featuring reinterpreted objects from the auction house's archives by artists at August House. We encountered a striking blend of mediums and ideas – from Dustin August’s textured works built with plaster and acrylic to Johan Stegmann’s pieces rich with South African references. Gustav Krantz pushed boundaries with entirely reimagined visuals, while Nwabisa Ntlokwana playfully painted birds onto a Gucci bag. When we walked through the show, some of the objects looked only slightly altered, while others – like Krantz’s works – had been completely transformed, almost unrecognisable from what they started as.
This moment also served as a launching pad for Welz Boutique, an offspring of Stephan Welz & Co and a refined online platform where art can be viewed and purchased. View some of the works here.
COME PREPARED TO BE SURPRISED
After a few more laps around the exhibition and some snacks to nibble on, Hallatt addressed the crowd about CONTRA.Joburg and what she describes as a "decentralised art fair."
The mission is to get audiences into artist studios and showcase the full length and breadth of creativity across Joburg. It's a choose your own adventure with a hop-on, hop-off shuttle service that runs all day, with Saturday's schedule focusing on the west of the city and Sunday's programme on the east. The spaces traversed span 6km across the city, with a radius of 2.5km.
You can expect food and drinks at each participating venue (included in the ticket price) and live demonstrations, as well as opportunities to get involved, interact with the artists, and purchase art. Read our guide for first-time art buyer's here.
One of the members of our party at the media launch, creative economy catalyst Dawn Robertson of JoziMyJozi highlights the importance of initiatives like this, emphasising how they help restore the inner city’s function.
"What if art disrupts you?" is the question CONTRA.Joburg poses, and seeks to answer experientially.
TIP: WHERE TO START YOUR CONTRA.JOBURG JOURNEY
As part of CONTRA.Joburg, Vintage Vanguard will be open on both Sat, Aug 30 and Sun, Aug 31 from 10:00 – 17:00. If driving, you can park at Stephan Welz and Co (28 Scott Street, Waverley) to see the exhibition, and then continue your journey to other studios and creative spaces with the hop-on, hop-off shuttle route. Buses leave every 20 minutes.
Dispatches from the launch: Our itinerary
From our meeting place of Stephan Welz and Co, we piled onto a bus – eager to see what was in store.
STOP 2: ELLIS HOUSE ART STUDIOS
Ellis House Art Studios (23 Voorhout Street, New Doornfontein) is a contemporary art hub housing over 30 artists across visual arts, performance, and design space. Established in 2012, the five-storey building offers private studios, exhibition spaces, and collaborative areas that foster community and creative experimentation. Notably, it hosts artists like the award-winning Senzeni Marasela, whom we had the pleasure of meeting.
Marasela is a Soweto-based interdisciplinary artist whose work explores history, memory, and personal narratives through photography, textiles, and mixed-media installations. It was a treat to see her exhibition, 2 O’clock. This exhibition stars Theodorah, the artist's alter ego character, who embarks on a journey to Joburg in search of her husband, Gebane, who boarded a bus at two o’clock – a time symbolising the departure of many men to the city in search of work, often never to return.
Through a series of etchings, Marasela delves into themes of memory, loss, and the socio-political contexts of South Africa, particularly the experiences of black women. The use of red in most of her artworks symbolises both trauma and resilience, reflecting the "red dust" era – a period marked by uncertainty as men left rural areas for urban centres. In her main studio space, Marasela shares the floor with art by five female art graduates.
While we were going about our business, we were "disrupted" by a surprise from Joburg Ballet principal dancers Monike Cristina and Revil Yon who performed an extract from choreographer Mario Gaglione’s new ballet, Maria Callas: Prima Donna. Just beautiful.
Ellis House is one of the stops for CONTRA.Joburg on Sun, Aug 31.
STOP 3: ASISEBENZE ART GALLERY
Next up we visited the brand-new Asisebenze Art Gallery at 34 Loveday Street, Joburg CBD. If you’re a fan of contemporary art – and maybe even Portuguese custard tarts – downtown Joburg has something special in store. Nestled in the newly refurbished Blue Plaque Aegis Building and opposite the Rand Club, Asisebenze Art Gallery and the neighbouring Troy’s Café (of The Troyeville and Casa Das Natas fame) make for the perfect creative pit stop.
This bright and modern gallery space feels intimate, like a secret just off the city's busy streets. Noise filters in from passing cars and passersby that remind you you're in the heart of Joburg – but it's not distracting, it adds to the gallery's unique character. Inside, we admired works by artists including Stephen Langa and Themba Shabalala as part of the group show, Departed Studios: Echoes from Asisebenze. Asisebenze Art Gallery is opening especially for CONTRA.Joburg ahead of its official public launch on Sat, Sep 20.
The gallery is a sister venture to Asisebenze Art Atelier – an artist studio space and art dealership at 28 Plein Street. Members of the Asisebenze collective enjoy access to studios, materials, mentorship, and housing – support that fosters both artistic growth and commercial success.
Next door, Troy’s Café serves excellent coffee and light bites in a cosy nook. We got a first taste of these along with a tour of the Aegis Building, which included a visit to the fantastic rooftop that's one of the few places you can take a cold plunge or hop in a jacuzzi and sauna with a Joburg view. The building has been developed into a residential block by Redcon (more on that to come).
Asisebenze Art Atelier is one of the stops for CONTRA.Joburg on Sat, Aug 30, while Asisebenze Art Gallery is part of the Sun, Aug 31 itinerary.
STOP 4: SUNDOWNERS AT PLAY BRAAM AND NELSON MANDELA BRIDGE
By day’s end, we wrapped up on Juta Street in the Play Braam district with a glass of bubbles, before heading to a sunset soiree on Nelson Mandela Bridge to admire Jozi My Jozi’s latest restorations – new seating, bridge lighting in South African flag colours – and a touch of opera courtesy of Jozi Opera. It was a surreal moment, standing together as the sunset faded, while agitated workers heading home weaved through our group during the opera performance. It captured the spirit of CONTRA.Joburg – art that disrupts – to brilliant effect.
Play Braam is one of the CONTRA.Joburg stops on Sat, Aug 30.
Plan your art weekend out with CONTRA.Joburg
CONTRA.Joburg takes place on Sat, Aug 30 and Sun, Aug 31, 2025 from 10:30 – 17:00. See the full lineup here. You can start at any of the venues and work your way through. With shuttles running between the venues every 20 minutes, and a park-and-ride system at Stephan Welz and Co, CONTRA.Joburg makes exploring these artist spaces a delight. Book your tickets here.
Need a bit more convincing? Here are 10 reasons why you shouldn't miss CONTRA.Joburg.
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