The art action starts early! Open Studios Fish Hoek & Clovelly (OSFHC) returns from 9 to 11 October 2026 with an expanded programme of artists, studios and creative spaces, inviting the public behind the scenes of the Southern Peninsula’s vibrant contemporary art community. Things kick off a week before the main event, with an exhibition and three installations going live ahead of the official start date.
Building up to the event
Opening on 1 October, the upstairs section of AP Jones will host an exhibition by distinguished South African artist Elizabeth Vels, who recently celebrated her 89th birthday. The show, A Cabinet of Curiosities: Recording and Recalling a Very Long Life, will feature artworks past and present, including ceramics, oil paintings and works on paper.
Born in 1937, Vels has held 14 solo exhibitions over her career. She is recognised as one of South Africa’s early papermakers and artist’s bookmakers, practices she has pursued since the late 1970s.
This exhibition offers an opportunity to encounter the breadth of an unusually diverse and materially adventurous practice developed over more than five decades. Viewers are invited to consider how Vels has continually pushed the boundaries between fine art, craft, bookmaking and material experimentation.
But the experience at AP Jones will begin before visitors even enter the building. The front windows of AP Jones
The department store’s two front windows will be transformed into large-scale art installations, designed specifically for OSFHC by artists Sue Kaplan, Marlise Keith and designer and costumier Susan Didcott. These will be on show from 1 October onwards and will stay up for the duration of the OSFHC weekend, bringing the participating artists into direct dialogue with the public and the street outside.
The one window display will feature self-portraits by each participating artist, creating a visual introduction to the people behind the studios and practices represented throughout the weekend. These will be interspersed with hanging artworks by Kaplan and Keith.
In the other window, Didcott (who works for Cape Town Opera, among others) will dress one of the store’s mannequins, using mostly recycled paper and card to create a layered, immersive composition that extends the display beyond the traditional and into the public art realm.
Inside AP Jones, members of the public can collect special OSFHC maps, kindly produced by local print experts Zip Print, providing a guide to all the participating artists, studios and activations. With extended opening hours, a map collection point, an exhibition, and major window installations, AP Jones becomes an important stop on the weekend’s route, offering both the practical information needed to explore the programme and a rich encounter with South African art.
Framed!
At Jacqui’s Framery at 89 Main Road, the familiar language of framing becomes the material for a new artistic intervention, which goes live from Thursday 1 October 2026. Artists Candice Oppenheim, Gerda Smit and Nicolene Louw will create a bespoke hanging installation by reimagining empty picture frames and combining them with original works in an unexpected configuration, transforming the framing shop into an exhibition environment. By incorporating the objects and materials already present within the business, the project creates a dialogue between art, craft, display and the everyday commercial landscape of Main Road.
In addition to the lead-up activations at AP Jones and Jacqui’s Framery, this year’s OSFHC introduces several new spaces and names.
New to the weekend’s line-up
One of the newest additions to the programme is Fish Hoek Studios, a shared artists’ studio established in 2025 that provides dedicated workspace for a community of contemporary artists working across a diverse range of disciplines.
The studio is home to 11 individual artist’s studios, with a woodworking workshop located below. For OSFHC, a selection of artists’ works will be installed in the studio’s communal area to introduce visitors to the artists and their individual practices, while also offering a glimpse into the shared environment in which the work is developed.
Contemporary artist Xanthe Scout Lardner-Burke, a friend of the studio, curates the exhibition, bringing an independent curatorial perspective to the presentation and creating a dialogue between the different practices represented. Current artists at Fish Hoek Studios include Ben
Stanwix, Sivan Zeffertt, Hugh Byrne, Matt Slater, Amber Moir, Brendan Murton, Tremayne Ward-Smith, Duduetsang Lamola, Matt Hazel, Carola Friess and Motelseven.
A communal artwork just for you
Also new to OSFHC, Mothership Studios is an artist-led professional studio and makers’ space founded in late 2025 in response to the lack of accessible, child-friendly, professional and community-driven studio environments for artists in the Fish Hoek area. More than simply a studio, Mothership describes itself as a living, evolving creative ecosystem, a space where artistic practice, community and everyday life can intersect.
During the OSFHC weekend, Mothership Studios will present a bespoke activation reflecting this collaborative ethos. Visitors will receive a piece of paper and be invited to visit a series of workstations within the studio. There, an artist will stamp the paper. As visitors move through the studio, the separate marks accumulate, with different artists contributing to the evolving composition.
By the end of the experience, each visitor will leave with a completed communal artwork that serves as a unique record of their journey through the studio and the artists’ collective contribution. The activation transforms the studio visit into an interactive encounter, reflecting Mothership Studios’ emphasis on participation, collaboration and community.
‘Peak’ your interest and compete
At Peak Café on the Main Road, anyone can create their own mini artwork on a Post-it note, add it to an expanding exhibition of art for all and by all, and compete for prizes. Four individual prizes are up for grabs, and the winners will be decided by public vote. The Write Shoppe has kindly supplied the Post-it notes and drawing materials. To accompany this interactive showcase of public work, there will be a group exhibition of small works by OSFHC artists.
Including the Joyce Chevalier Protective Workshop
The Fish Hoek-based NPO, Joyce Chevalier Protective Workshop, provides sheltered employment for people with disabilities and special needs. OSFHC’s sponsor Property Peninsula has employed Joyce Chevalier to bead keyrings that will be on display at each studio stop.
A welcome pitstop!
The OSFHC experience extends beyond studios and exhibition spaces, with the Farm Shack Cafe (@farm_shack_cafe) opening its doors for the weekend and offering visitors a place to pause, recharge and connect along the route. Located on Paris Road at False Bay Hospital in Fish Hoek, this coffee shop harvests produce daily from its adjacent food garden and offers fresh juices, milkshakes, coffee, sandwiches and wraps, as well as its own fresh organic produce and other products.
The Farm Shack Cafe will have extended opening hours and a special weekend menu, giving visitors an opportunity to make a day of their studio-hopping experience. With its focus on fresh, accessible food and drink, Farm Shack Cafe adds another dimension to the weekend, reinforcing the idea of OSFHC as a neighbourhood-wide experience where art, local businesses and community life intersect.
A growing creative community
The addition of Fish Hoek Studios, Mothership Studios, Jacqui’s Framers, Peak Café, AP Jones and Farm Shack Cafe reflects the evolving character of OSFHC. The 2026 programme looks beyond the traditional gallery model to celebrate the many different places where art is made, developed, displayed and experienced, from individual studios and shared workshops to local businesses and community spaces. OSFHC is ultimately about access: opening doors, making connections and revealing the people and processes behind the work.
The event is free on Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 11 October, and studios are open from 10h00 to 16h00. There is a paid preview in aid of the breast cancer NPO Project Flamingo on Friday 9 October, with tickets available through Quicket.
Participating venues, event information and a digital map are available via openstudios.org.za or follow: @openstudiosfishhoekclovelly
For more articles like this click here.
If you enjoyed this website then check out our other sites: Wedding and Function, Kids Connection, Thirsty Traveler, Boat Trips for Africa, Bargain Buys, Business Link.
Need help with your online marketing then visit Agency One.
