South Africa continues to prove its place in the art world in 2018.

While South Africa continues to provide a diverse set of offerings within adventure, safari and culinary tourism, art and design have become an increasingly important segment of the destination?s tourism industry. Due to a number of exciting new developments and trends in recent years, the past year has seen a growth in visitors to South Africa as a major art destination.

The exciting opening of The Zeitz MoCAA in Cape Town in September 2017 means that South Africa is now home to one of the most influential art institutions in the world. The 100,000-square-foot Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is the biggest museum to open on the continent in more than 100 years. The institution is a central force in the collection, preservation, research and exhibition of cutting-edge and contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora and ushered in a new era for the development of Cape Town?s V&A Waterfront being housed in the Historic Grain Silo Complex.

While Cape Town has taken center stage with the high-profile opening attracting VIPs and art specialists from around the globe, those looking for a more grassroots experience won?t be disappointed. Visits to historic townships and tours of the most famous street art of Johannesburg are among the newest off-the-beaten track attractions for visitors to South Africa, and an appetite for companies offering ?transformative? art tours is on the rise. A wonderful art walking tour by The Maboneng Township Arts Experience gives travelers a glimpse into local homes turned art galleries in the townships just outside of Johannesburg. While in downtown, other creative companies such as Gummie and Past Experiences offer travelers unique graffiti street art tours that explore vibrant hubs of the city that are experiencing a regeneration through art. On bike or by foot, these tours showcase incredible works of art by both by local and international artists.

As local South African art continues to be recognized internationally, one fine example is Esther Mahlangu?s unique artwork which is striking and contemporary, yet rooted in centuries-long traditions of craft making. As the first person to transfer the traditional Ndbele style of mural painting to canvas, her work has been exhibited over the years across the globe and was commissioned by companies such as Fiat, British Airways and BMW, to name but a few. Mahlangu is one of the African artists whose bold art is displayed in major private collections including that of The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) of Jean Pigozzi and in many Western museums across Europe and the US. In late 2016, she teamed up with Belvedere Vodka, John Legend, and (RED) to create a special-edition Belvedere bottle to benefit the Global Fund to eradicate HIV/AIDS. This was followed by the early 2017 inclusion of her legendary BMW Art Car in ?South Africa: the art of a nation? at the British Museum.

She has been able to bridge sensitively the influences of African art with Western culture, admitting herself, ?there has always been a fascination, demand, and admiration for art from Africa.? Despite being an internationally recognized artist, Mahlangu still lives in her small Mpumalanga village where she started an art school in the backyard of her home to mentor young artists in the traditional style of Ndebele design.

Issued by W!T on behalf of South African Tourism

For more information on South Africa?s rich and diverse offerings visit www.southafrica.net, follow @SouthAfrica on Twitter and @VisitSouthAfrica on Instagram and Facebook.

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