Artists and designers – whether professionals, students or collectives – are invited to submit expressions of interest for light-based and video artworks that resonate across age groups. Light must be a central component of each piece, with experimentation and innovation strongly encouraged.
The project will completely or partially fund installations chosen by the selection committee, headed by curators Jay Pather and Vaughn Sadie. The selection is not confined to a theme, but artists may be prompted by the ethereal and the whimsical, artworks that speak to technology, issues affecting South Africa, resilience, enchantment and exuberance, and the working wine farm.
Categories of work may include:
- Site-specific work (designed to be displayed in particular places on Spier Wine Farm)
- Sculptural, object-based work
- Interactive art
- Digital works that foreground technology
- Video art
Curatorial briefing
The curatorial team will hold an online briefing on Tuesday,17 June 2025, at 16:00. An on-site briefing will be held on Saturday, 5 July, at 10:30. If you’d like to attend, please RSVP to spierlightart@lightplace.org.
Submission requirements and process
Expressions of interest must include:
- Artist/collective/studio biographies of all involved (200 words).
- A short overview of the conceptual interests of the work, specifying which category the submission falls under (300 words).
- A concise description of the work, including concept sketches (300 words).
- A description of the use of light in the work (150 words).
- A description of the audience interaction/engagement with the work, but ideally a video (150 words).
- A provisional but realistic and well-considered budget indicating whether it is to be funded entirely or in part by the Spier Arts Trust; and
- Web links to and/or images of the proposed work or, if not already developed, examples of previous work.
Email your expression of interest to the project manager at lightart@spier.co.za before 6 July 2024. A more thorough proposal may be requested after the shortlist is announced.
About Spier Light Art 2024
Visitors immersed themselves in a world of light, sound and video at the sixth edition of Spier Light Art, which took place between March and April 2024. More than 12,000 people interacted with the light, sound and video artworks exhibited across the farm. Playful, provocative, reflective and engaging, the installations transformed the working wine farm into an artistic hub buzzing with electricity.
For ideas on the type of work the Selection Committee is interested in featuring, please refer to last year’s programme.
The Stellenbosch community and national media consistently praise Spier Light Art for providing a safe and beautiful environment, where a diverse audience can celebrate contemporary art together.
Art, like food and wine, is best shared, which is why Spier is such an enthusiastic supporter of African artists and their creations. Housing one of the largest contemporary art collections in the country, Spier believes in the power of the visual arts to teach and inspire, encouraging us all to engage openly with our world and each other. With such a thriving local artistic community and rich cultural heritage, Spier is excited about the future of South African art.
