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We know the pool and those cocktails are calling your name. But if you feel like slowing down and enjoying the cultural side of the season, here are some suggestions for when you need something different.
Step into a world of sparkle, sophistication, and pure celebration at the Art and Bubbles Affair 2025, taking place from 5 to 7 December at the Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank. This is where fine art, fashion, music, and the world’s most exquisite sparkling wines come together in one spectacular gathering. This event promises to be a feast for the senses.
Imagine sipping exceptional bubbles beneath the Johannesburg skyline, surrounded by striking art installations, live performances, gourmet creations, and the city’s most stylish crowd. Over 20 prestigious wine estates, from South Africa’s finest Cap Classique producers to renowned Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava houses, will showcase their craftsmanship, offering guests a journey through the world’s most celebrated sparkling wines.
Beyond the sparkle, the Affair invites guests to explore immersive art experiences – bold, interactive installations that invite play, reflection, and connection. A series of exclusive masterclasses and conversations will also be unveiled, offering an inside look at the artistry behind sparkling wine, the stories of visionary winemakers, and the creative minds shaping contemporary art and design. This is the place to go to experience something that feels alive, unforgettable, and full of joy. Visit www.artandbubbles.co.za for more info.
We couldn’t resist telling you about this exciting series, and for this one, you don’t have to leave home. Marianna Lunardoni is an independent author and illustrator from Italy, now based in Portugal, who has created two entirely hand-illustrated blog novels (fictional stories told through serialised blog posts) inspired by what she describes as South African history and memory.
The first, Alice in Johannesburg, follows the journey of a young Afrikaner woman, raised in Switzerland, who decides to return to South Africa in the 1970s. The work, according to Lunardoni, blends historical research, illustration, and imagination.
The second piece of work, titled Once upon a time in South Africa, is set in the 19th century, depicting what that period looked and felt like. Lunardoni points out that this piece of work was written in Italian, but that over twenty chapters are already available online in English.
The author has also published an AI-narrated audiobook titled Alice is no longer in Wonderland, which completes the collection. All these works are non-commercial, meaning they are freely accessible and designed to support both readers and educators through original visual storytelling methods. We’ve listed the links below. The author can be reached at mariposta2007@gmail.com for more information.
· Alice in Johannesburg – https://bit.ly/4ot6G95
· Once Upon a Time in South Africa – https://bit.ly/4oWun9h
· Audiobook – Alice is No Longer in Wonderland – https://bit.ly/4qRzOZe
Under the Aegis, founded in 2020 by curator Anelisa Mangcu, is a pioneering art gallery based in Cape Town and dedicated to what Mangcu describes as fostering connections between artists, collectors, and institutional collections from across the African continent and the diaspora. Programs focus on the exploration of intersectional African identity, challenging paradigms, and drawing connections between the historical and the contemporary. The venue specialises in curatorial services, exhibition production, and art facilitation, allowing artists to showcase their work on a global stage.
The current exhibition, As Tides Change, showing into December, brings together a selection of emerging and established African artists whose work explores a narrative around change – both personal and collective for the artists – and the way in which African identities and creative expressions continue to evolve.
“As Tides Change invites us to think about transformation not as rupture but as return,” says Mangcu, who also stands among the first Black women to own and run an independent gallery in the Cape. As Tides Change invites audiences to move beyond static perceptions of African art, towards a deeper engagement with material, colour, and time. This gallery has a unique ethos and personality. Find out about this and future exhibitions at www.undertheaegis.co.
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