Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025

For the first time in South Africa, we showcased the work of emerging artists Elsadig Janka (Sudan) and Manuela Lara (Colombia). These two artists use contemporary art as a form of liberation, reframing narratives of violence through activism and resilience. Their powerful works offer thought-provoking narratives of resistance, social conflict, and cultural resilience, framing contemporary art as a vehicle for political and social commentary.

The multiple exposure work of Janka, taken during the Sudanese revolution in 2019, shows a dynamic form of resistance. In this ongoing photographic series he shows how activism, urban infrastructure, and daily life ‘intermingle’ on the streets of Khartoum. Looking back, now that Sudan has descended into civil war, this work functions as a memorial to the fight for democracy as well as a celebration of solidarity. Janka has been fully embedded in the Sudanese struggle for freedom by participating in rallies. It is from this ground-level perspective that the series emerged. 

Lara’s Van Dyke Brown photography on hand made paper presents feminine stories of resistance through portraiture. Over four years she worked with female social leaders in Colombia to reframe the narratives of suffering that dominate the post-war discourse. Her photographic technique is deeply intertwined with cultural symbolism—embellishing the images with symbols that resonate personally with the subjects, revealing a new language of resistance and self-styling. Similarly the plantain, wool, cotton, chontaduro, and damagua papers bring the natural landscapes and textures familiar to the regions of Buenaventura, La Guajira, Suatatausa and Cundinamarca into a material conversation with each other. The stories of struggle, indigenous resistance, and Afro-resilience coming from these Colombian women has the power to connect with local and international collector audiences. 

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Artists : Manuela Lara and Elsadig Janka