Open Studios Kommetjie Application Guide
Applications for Open Studios Kommetjie are open from 1 March to 15 April
Open Studios Kommetjie invites artists who are based in the area and are building a committed fine art practice to apply for participation in our annual art event.
Applications are open each year from 1 March to 15 April.
Email us at openstudioskommetjie@gmail.com to request the full application pack.
Application Criteria
Who can apply?
We welcome applications from artists at all stages of their careers – emerging, mid-career, or established. To be eligible for participation in Open Studios Kommetjie, you need to:
- live in Kommetjie or have a permanent working studio in the area,
- be actively making art and working in a fine art context,
- have exhibited work in the past year, or be included in an upcoming curated exhibition or project, and
- have new work created during the year of the event.
What we look for
Open Studios Kommetjie looks for artists who are actively developing a fine art practice. This includes:
- work made with artistic intention,
- a studio-based practice that explores ideas, materials or both, and
- a recognisable voice or studio practice that shows development over time.
A wide range of media is considered. Limited editions or functional pieces may be included if clearly positioned within a fine art context.
Need help deciding if this fits your work? Visit our Fine Art Guide for more detail.
The selection process
All applications undergo a two-stage process:
- Eligibility check
Each application is first reviewed by the Open Studios Kommetjie steering committee to make sure that the core requirements have been met. To qualify, ask yourself the following:
- Do you live or work in Kommetjie?
- Is your work original and artist-made, not mass-produced?
- Have you shown your work in a professional context recently, or are you planning to?
- Are you proposing to show new work that reflects your current practice?
- Was everything requested in the application pack submitted?
Only applications that meet these criteria move to the next stage.
- Artistic review
The artistic content of all eligible applications is reviewed by a selection panel made up of independent art professionals — curators, artists, and gallerists. The panel considers the quality, intention, and presentation of the work, and how it aligns with contemporary fine art practice. They also consider what each proposal may bring to the event, the aim being to include a mix of perspectives, mediums, and ways of working.
If you’re not selected this year, we encourage you to apply again next year. Each selection panel brings a fresh perspective.
What does participation involve?
The event takes place during the first weekend of December each year. Participating artists commit to:
- opening their studios and being present from 10:00 to 17:00 on each of the three days,
- presenting new work created in the year of the event, and
- contributing a participation fee, which supports map printing, signage, marketing, and more.
Open Studios Kommetjie is shaped by the people who take part. Each year, artists bring their energy, time, and skills — from admin and design to distribution and logistics — to help make the event possible.
As part of our shared effort, the artists also contribute to the annual Give Back Project. The form this project takes is decided together, with proceeds going to a local cause or initiative that we agree on as a community.
Highlights of the event timeline
March: Applications
Late April: Eligibility review
May: Panel review and announcement of qualifying participants
October to November: Studio check-ins
Early December: Event weekend
What to prepare for your application
To help you plan ahead, here is a preview of what you will need to submit:
- A Kommetjie address or studio location
- A profile photo
- An artist statement and biography
- A one-page CV with mention of exhibitions
- 10 images of recent work with their titles, materials, and sizes
- A short Open Studios proposal (100 words max)
- Your contact details and website or social links
Email us at openstudioskommetjie@gmail.com to request the full application pack.
Follow Us
Stay in the loop with our social media pages below.
Meet our Artists: Nicolette Geldenhuys
@nicolettegeldenhuys
Nicolette’s art practice is a rich tapestry woven from diverse media, including printmaking, painting, drawing, and collage. Her printmaking focuses on dry point, monotype, and low-toxic etching techniques, reflecting a deep commitment to both craftsmanship and environmental consciousness. Though she learned the printmaking basics from artist Mimmie van der Merwe, Nicolette’s journey has been largely self-directed, marked by a continuous exploration of materials and methods. Her printmaking work integrates botanical and sea algae monoprints, water colour, oil and charcoal monotypes, dry point engraving, collagraphs, painting and drawing, revealing a dynamic interplay between technique and emotion.
Transitioning from representational to abstract expression, Nicolette now also employs mixed media to convey a profound emotional landscape in her paintings.
“I view creative expression as both a profound gift and a deep spiritual practice. For me, art is not just a personal endeavour, but a meaningful collaboration with my Creator. My work frequently explores the liminal spaces between the seen and unseen, the tangible and the intangible—capturing moments of experience that defy simple explanation, yet resonate on a visceral, emotional level.
I draw inspiration from the world around me—shaped by the landscapes I inhabit, the people I encounter, and my quiet inner dialogue that seeks to make sense of both the pain and beauty inherent in the human condition. I find meaning in the often-overlooked moments of daily life, and I use my art as a form of abstract storytelling. My work blends representational elements with abstract expression, creating layers of depth that invite personal interpretation. My hope is that viewers will discover fragments of their own stories within the layers of my art, allowing the work to resonate in unique, individual ways.”
#artliveshere #openstudioskommetjie #southafricanart #arteventcapetown #capetownartist #contemporysouthafricanart
1 week ago
Meet our artists: Jean America @jean.america_blackfoot_art
Mural artist Jéan America draws inspiration from the ocean’s majesty and the natural beauty that surrounds him, as well as from his connection to the community of his home town. He creates psychedelic, sometimes arbitrary works of art by layering colours and incorporating found objects.
Jéan’s childhood was marked by challenges and difficulties as he navigated the complexities of Ocean View’s streets and struggled in school. Growing up in the 1990s in a new South Africa presented its own set of hurdles, with limited opportunities and an uneven playing field being the norm. Caught up in the midst of social issues that were often overlooked or misunderstood, young Jéan formed impressions that shaped his perspective on the world.
Despite these challenges, he developed a passion for street art murals as a teenager. It wasn’t until much later that he mustered the courage to explore this creative outlet. His artistic journey formally began with a two-year course in art, through which he explored 2D and 3D art, graphic design, and multimedia. His focus on animation in his second year laid the foundation for his future endeavours.
As a community artist, Jéan has had the privilege of participating in prominent events like the Emzantsi Carnival, Cape Town Carnival, and Gauteng Carnival, which helped him hone his skills as a scenic artist, fabricator, sculptor, and set builder.
In 2024, when HopeTown introduced him to the Open Studios Kommetjie artist collective, he saw it as another opportunity to refine his craft and produce high-quality art that showcases his unique style.
Do visit @openstudioskommetjie 5-7 December to meet Jean and engage with his work.
#muralartist #artliveshere #openstudioskommetjie
1 week ago
Our giveback project is live!! Link in bio
Artwork Raffle
Stand a chance of winning one of 38 original artworks by supporting our raffle!
For the minimal cost of R100 a ticket, you could win an artwork by one of the following past or present participants in Open Studios Kommetjie:
Gill Allderman, Jéan America, Kim Black, Astrid Blumer, Wim Botha, Jenny Chadwick, Karen Elkington, Jane Eppel, Nicolette Geldenhuys, Laurel Holmes, Odette Howell, Leah Johnson, Noeleen Kleve, Michele Koch, Ruth le Roux, Beth Lowe, Caryn McArthy, Kristen McClarty, Ian Miller, Joanne Milne, Mariëtte Momberg, Rufus Nolan, Johann Nothnagel, Janet Ormond, Adrian Owen, Anneke Potgieter, Lisa Ringwood, Leah Rolando, Shaune Rogatschnig, Nicky Roselli, Eugenie Skelton, Chip Snaddon, Sharday Swanepoel, Michelle van Reenen, Françoise van Vuuren, Elizabeth Vels, and Theresa Wormser.
Proceeds will again support the NPO HopeTown @hopetownov @hopetown_industry in Ocean View, alongside a local artist-led community project.
HopeTown’s work is invaluable to our area. Through education, skills training, and mentoring, they create opportunities for holistic development that both uplift individuals and strengthen the community. At Imhoff Farm, visitors can explore HopeTown’s shop and workshops, meet the team, and see their inspiring work firsthand.
At the bus stop just outside the farm entrance, visitors will also be able to view the creative community project funded by our Give Back Project. Led by local mosaic artist Reagan Rubain, @reagan_rubain ,this project brings skill-sharing, community employment, and public space upliftment into focus. Local residents have been participating in the project, learning mosaic techniques while contributing to a new permanent artwork in the neighbourhood. You’ll find it on this year’s event map under Public Art.
Don’t miss out! Get those tickets!
@openstudioskommetjie proudly sponsored by Seeff @tracey_seeff
#artliveshere #openstudioskommetjie #artraffle
2 weeks ago
Meet our artists: Jenna Burchell @jennaburchell
Jenna Burchell is a project-based South African artist who creates alternative archives that fuse digital and natural elements to preserve stories and memories. Her interactive works invite audiences to engage with complex, often overlooked narratives, whether everyday or historical.
Projects like Songsmith and Heartbreak Pots exemplify her approach to blending technology and storytelling in the service of history, place, and connection.
Guided by relational and stochastic processes, Jenna collaborates with the materials, landscapes, and people she encounters. These interactions allow her works to grow organically, embedding layers of meaning and memory into each piece. The results are sculptural sound objects and large-scale interactive environments — vessels, archives, and libraries that acknowledge, preserve, and share layered stories.
Sound is a recurring element in Jenna’s work, with audiences being invited into narratives through touch and interactive technology. Recurring themes such as fracture and repair weave in and out of her work.
Do visit Jenna’s studio to experience Jenna’s work @openstudioskommetjie 5-7 December 10:00 – 17:00 daily
2 weeks ago
Don’t miss the opening of Wings & Wonder with our OSK artist @janetormond_art and fellow artists at
Studio 50 • Imhoff Farm
2 Oct – 2 Nov 2025
Birds, in all their forms, have always stirred the human imagination, as symbols of freedom, fragility, migration, and mystery. This October, Wings & Wonder brings together six artists whose practices span sculpture, printmaking, painting, and photography, each interpreting avian life through their own lens of material and meaning.
Janet Ormond reimagines discarded ocean plastic into sculptural forms that speak to both the vulnerability and resilience of nature. Adele Sherlock’s porcelain works capture the tension between delicacy and strength, echoing the fleeting grace of birds. Chris Bladen’s bronzes are grounded in meticulous realism, celebrating fine detail and timeless form. Jane Eppel, through her printmaking practice, explores the idea of nest, a symbol of care, home, and the fragile architectures of life. Joanne Milne’s paintings depict birds in moments of stillness, perched on branches, inviting us to pause and notice their quiet presence. With quiet precision, Philip Jackson’s photography holds in focus the stillness and flight so often only glimpsed.
Together, their works form a collective meditation, on flight, on fragility, and on the enduring wonder birds inspire.
3 weeks ago
Meet our Artists: Leah Johnson
“Hi, I am Leah Johnson & I will be participating in Kommetjie Open Studios 2025.
@leahjohnson_abstract
I am a practising architect and artist: my chosen art making form is an abstraction of fibre weaving: a language of threads, textures and colours. I draw upon Gestalt principles — proximity, spacing, the interplay of contradiction and complement — to shape the images. It is as much about what you don’t see as what you do see. My exploration has led me through built forms and imagined perspectives, and into a dialogue with the work of Louis Barragán — a master Mexican architect, whose built spaces expand past containment through his use of restraint and colour.
Now, I find myself leaning further into the artworks themselves: their vibrancy, their generosity. And their pure joy.
This December, for Kommetjie Open Studios, I will open my doors to visitors, collectors and the curious — to share these pieces in the setting of my home. I look forward to meeting you on the 5th, 6th and 7th of December”
#artliveshere #openstudioskommetjie #capetownartist
4 weeks ago
We are so grateful for the generous support from @tracey_seeff Thank you Tracey and Seeff!
“For the fourth year, Seeff Southern Peninsula is honoured to support Kommetjie Open Studios — a weekend that brings the village to life through art, creativity, and connection.
Local artists open their doors, and something special unfolds. Visitors explore the neighbourhood, meet the makers, and feel the rhythm of the community.
At the heart of it all is the Open Studios Hub, hosted in our Kommetjie office — a welcoming space where every artist is represented, and every conversation matters.
Because home is more than a place.
It’s the people, the creativity, and the shared moments that make it whole.’
#BuildCommunity
#LocalPartnerships
#KommetjieOpenStudios
#LoveWhereWeLive
#SeeffSupportsTheArts
#CollaborationMatters
#PeopleAndPlace
#RealEstateWithHeart
1 month ago
Meet our Artists: NOTTS (Johann Nottnagel)
@johannnotts
Notts’ art is a testament to a life, Lived. A journey rich in experiences. His narrative, woven through diverse adventures and transformations, serves as a powerful backdrop to the Art he creates.
His art echoes the essence of his story — a fusion of Nature, community and personal growth. Johann’s art, like his journey, is perfectly imperfect and celebrates the beauty found in unpredictability and embraces the flow of creativity. It invites the audience to slow down and ponder the intricacies of life and nature. The interplay of glass and metals, inspired by nature and emotion, reflects a profound connection with the world around him.
As one navigates through his collection, it becomes clear that Johann NOTTS is not merely an artist, he is also a storyteller. His art narrates a tale of resilience, adaptability and the pursuit of authenticity. Each piece, unique from it’s destructive mould and unpredictable outcome, invites viewers to reenact their own journey and find beauty in the perfectly imperfect moments of life. Johann NOTTS’ artwork stands as a testament to the transformative power of art and the boundless possibilities that unfold when one dares to embark on a journey of self-discovery and creative exploration.
#openstudioskommetjie #artliveshere #southafricanart #arteventcapetown #capetownartist #openstudioskommetjieartists25 #sculptor
1 month ago