The 2020 Rolex Arts Weekend Is Set To Take Place In South Africa
The two-day festival marks the end of the 2018/19 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative programme
Sir David Adjaye visits the regional market in Dandaji, Niger, with his protégée Mariam Kamara whose practice designed the project. Photo: Courtesy
Sir David Adjaye
Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, Rolex, has announced it will be hosting its Rolex Arts Weekend on the 8 and 9 of February 2020 at the Baxter Theater Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
Similar to past events, the weekend will include a series of public programs, namely talks, readings, exhibitions and performances, including two world premieres, and will feature the work of the 2018/19 protégés of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.
For the 2018/19 period, the program features British architect Sir David Adjaye, tabla player Zakir Hussain, Canadian dancer Crystal Pite and Irish novelist Colm Tóibín who mentored architect Mariam Kamara, drummer Marcus Gilmore, dancer Khoudia Touré and novelist Colin Barrett.
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Marcus Gilmore demonstrates his work to his mentor Zakir Hussain. Photo: Courtesy
Zakir Hussain
Through these various events, the protégés will demonstrate the insights they learned from their mentors over the course of the mentoring period. This interchange between generations is integral to Rolex’s dedication to passing on knowledge, in this case, perpetuating excellence in the arts.
"The Baxter is a most appropriate venue for the Arts Weekend," said Rebecca Irvin, Head of the Rolex Arts Initiative. "Not only is it known for presenting a variety of progressive works, it is led by CEO and Artistic Director Lara Foot, herself a former protégée of the theatre great Sir Peter Hall in the 2004−2005 series."
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Colm Tóibín and Colin Barett at the New York Public Library. Photo: Courtesy
The 2020 edition is being curated by Fruzsina Szép, the Hungarian- born Festival and Artistic Director of Lollapalooza Berlin who also served as an Arts Initiative nominator, helping to identify suitable potential protégés for the programme in 2018/19.
In addition to the aforementioned programs, attendees will also have the opportunity to hear international artists debating the role of culture in society and the interdisciplinary nature of their work in two separate panel discussions led by Prof. Homi Bhabha of Harvard University, while an Arts Weekend Cinema event at the Baxter’s Golden Arrow Studio will feature films about the Rolex Arts Initiative, as well as past and current mentors and protégés.
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Dance mentor Crystal Pite and protégée Khoudia Touré during a work session. Photo: Courtesy
Crystal Pite