Open Studios Kommetjie is an artist-led, community-focused event that welcomes a wide range of fine art practices. Values include peer support, mutual respect, collaboration, and shared learning. The Fine Art Guide sits within this shared context. It is not meant to serve as a set of rigid rules, but as a reference point for the types of art practice this event encourages.
What is fine art?
The label “fine art” comes from the European art tradition, especially from the 17th and 18th centuries, when art academies and cultural institutions began classifying creative disciplines.
- The term grew from the French phrase beaux arts (“beautiful arts”), used to distinguish art forms valued for their aesthetic, intellectual, or expressive qualities from those considered practical or functional.
- Traditionally, “fine art” included painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry, later expanding to printmaking, drawing, and other visual arts.
- The distinction was meant to separate these practices from “applied arts” or “decorative arts” such as furniture-making, textiles, or ceramics, which were seen as more craft or utilitarian.
- Over time, the boundaries have blurred, especially with contemporary art, but the label remains widely used in art institutions, education and the market.
Today, the meaning of “fine art” continues to evolve. For the purposes of the Open Studios Kommetjie event, the term is understood in a broad and open way, recognising that contemporary practice often moves between disciplines and draws from many creative traditions.
What the Open Studios Kommetjie selection panel looks for in a fine art practice
Our selection panel looks for work that reflects a committed, thoughtful, and original fine art practice. This may include:
- clear intention — the artworks have been created primarily for aesthetic, conceptual, or expressive reasons;
- medium engagement – the artworks represent traditional or contemporary art forms such as painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, installation, performance, sound, video, and conceptual art;
- artistic authorship – the artist has developed a recognisable voice or studio practice that shows development over time;
- originality – the artist prioritises unique or limited edition works that were created with archival consideration and artistic intention;
- critical awareness –- the artist or their work engages with dialogues around artistic, cultural, social, and/or political ideas;
- context – the artist has presented their work in curated exhibitions, galleries, museums, institutions, or biennales;
- peer recognition – the artist’s work has been recognised or evaluated by curators, critics, scholars, or other artists who are active within fine art contexts, in ways that affirm the work’s relevance to contemporary fine art practice.
These points help guide the selection process, but are not rigid requirements for participation. We value emerging voices, evolving practices, and different ways of working.
FAQ: What is the difference between a fine art reproduction and a commercial print reproduction?
Reproductions (print or sculptural) may enter fine art practice when they are created with artistic intent, produced to a high standard, limited, and shared in a professional fine art context.
Things to consider:
- Artistic intent: The reproduction should be significant to the artist’s creative or conceptual practice, rather than being made only for commercial purposes. For example, mass-produced prints are generally excluded from the category of fine art.
- Artist involvement: The artist is directly involved in or oversees the creation of a high-quality, archival reproduction and signs it.
- Editioning: Many fine art reproductions are produced in small editions, often between 3 and 10, and accompanied by certification.
- Technique: High-quality archival reproduction methods — such as lithography, etching, or giclée (when signed and editioned) — can position a reproduction closer to fine art.
- Context: When and where the work is shown can add to its meaning. For example when a reproduction is exhibited or sold in professional fine art spaces with curatorial framing.
FAQ: What is the difference between fine art photography and commercial photography?
Photography enters fine art practice when it is concept driven, artist led, limited in edition, archival, and presented in professional art contexts.
Moreover, fine art photography exhibits the following qualities:
- Authorship: The photographer is recognised as the artist and retains creative control.
- Editioning: Prints are made in limited editions, signed, and numbered. A good guide for the number of prints to include in a limited edition is between 3 and 10.
- Conceptual or aesthetic intent: The work is created to express an idea, emotion, or perspective, not to simply document or decorate.
- Print quality: Prints are produced using archival processes and materials, often under the artist’s supervision.
By contrast, decorative or commercial prints are:
- often mass produced,
- not editioned,
- aimed at interior decoration rather than conceptual engagement, and
- not archival.
FAQ: What are artist-created objects?
Artist-created objects are works made in limited numbers alongside an artist’s main fine art practice. They are produced with the artist’s direct involvement and often reflect the same materials, processes, or themes explored in their core practice. While not typically classified as fine art, they remain rooted in the artist’s authorship.
Examples include one-off pieces and small editions such as bronze cast jewellery in the style of an artist’s main sculptural range, functional ceramics sculpted and glazed in a signature style, or design-led pieces created in collaboration with local makers.
In many established practices, fine artworks may carry a higher entry price for collectors. Artist-created objects offer a way to introduce more accessible pieces, inviting a wider range of visitors to collect work and engage with the artist’s practice. Clear framing is essential to distinguish these works from the artist’s primary fine art practice.