Penny Siopis, The Lace Tablecloth II

“Since its beginnings in 2000 as an all-night literary event at Stellenbosch University, Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees has grown into one of the largest arts festivals in Africa,” says Caro Wiese, a long-time ambassador for the festival. “Its extraordinary growth has been heartening to witness, but cultural institutions of this scale also require sustained support. Strauss & Co is proud to play a part. A flourishing arts sector is one of the clearest measures of the wellbeing and values of a society.” 

Following the success of its programme in 2025, Strauss & Co will once again divide its activities between Oude Leeskamer, a historic cultural venue on the corner of Dorp and Drostdy Streets and head office of the Jannie Mouton Foundation, and Stellenbosch Town Hall, both situated in the heart of the town’s historic centre. Oude Leeskamer will serve as the principal hub for Strauss & Co’s curatorial programme. Two exhibitions form the centrepiece of its activities: a century-spanning survey of the still-life genre and an exhibition of art jewellery by 15 leading South African practitioners. Stellenbosch Town Hall will host informative talks and the fifth instalment of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction  

Curated by Strauss & Co art education specialist Jo Voysey, Alles Behalwe Doodstil | Anything but Static: A Selection of Modern and Contemporary Still Life brings together more than 60 works from The Caro Wiese Collection, The Kilbourn Collection, The Sanlam Collection and other private collections. Spanning painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, photography and video, the exhibition ranges from celebrated flower painters including Georgina Gratrix, Frans Oerder and Irma Stern to contemporary lens-based artists Pieter Hugo, Adam Letch and Ashley Walters, as well as sculptors Stephané E. Conradie and Anitra Nettleton. 

Voysey’s selection traces the evolution of a genre traditionally concerned with inanimate subjects, from fruit and cut flowers to vessels and domestic objects. Still life has historically offered both celebrations of material abundance and meditations on transience and mortality. Its possibilities continue to adapt with the times. 

“The exhibition picks up the evolving story of still life in South Africa in 1924 with Maggie Laubser’s The Blue Jug, loaned by the Sanlam Art Collection,” says Voysey. The solid historical selection is complimented by striking contemporary examples. “Over the past 25 years, still life has expanded beyond traditional arrangements of inanimate objects into dynamic, interactive and conceptual works. Artists increasingly use personal objects and memorabilia to introduce their own presence and experience into the work.”

An accomplished painter in her own right, Voysey has selected works by contemporary painters Bronwen Findlay, Georgina Gratrix, Clare Menck, Nabeeha Mohammed, Penny Siopis and Simon Stone. 

Stellenbosch Town Hall will host the fifth annual Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction on Saturday, 10 October at 11am. Accompanied by a curated preview exhibition, the auction brings together works by emerging and established artists. “The aim of the auction is to encourage both new and seasoned collectors to invest in art, expand the market and improve access to the work of leading local artists,” says Elmarie van Straten, Head of Cape Town Art Department at Strauss & Co. “The selection places artistic excellence at its centre while creating greater visibility and recognition for contemporary artistic practice.” 

Public engagement and education form an important part of Strauss & Co’s programme at Woordfees. An extensive series of talks and workshops at Stellenbosch Town Hall will explore collecting, the art market, and the role of art in contemporary cultural life. 

Strauss & Co chairperson Frank Kilbourn will reprise last year’s popular panel on collecting with Dr Alastair Meredith, Head of Strauss & Co’s Art Department, Carel Nolte, Chief Enablement Officer of EasyEquities, facilitated by writer and curator Sean O’ Toole on Tuesday, 6 October at 5pm. Their conversation will consider the value, beauty and legacy of collecting against the backdrop of changing attitudes to art globally. 

Also offering an international perspective, art collector and philanthropist Lizelle Kilbourn and Bina Genovese, Director and Senior Auctioneer of Strauss & Co, share their impressions of the 61st Venice Biennale on Monday, 5 October at 11am. A respected public speaker, Dr Alastair Meredith will examine how the South African secondary market developed its own artists, trends, records and idiosyncrasies on Tuesday, 6 October at 12pm.  

Complementing the two exhibitions at Oude Leeskamer, Strauss & Co will host an interactive presentation on art jewellery at Stellenbosch Town Hall on Wednesday, 7 October at 1pm. Guests will be invited to encounter jewellery as a living art form as selected pieces are brought to life through movement and participation. Entry is free. A panel of artists and experts will discuss how the still life genre continues to evolve beyond its traditional boundaries on Thursday, 8 October at 1pm. 

Strauss & Co is collaborating with La Motte Wine Estate on an immersive performance by painter Gabrielle Kruger where the still life shifts from the canvas to an experience on Friday, 9 October at 3pm. Known for her materially inventive practice and exploration of the physical properties of paint, Kruger, together with members of Cape Ballet Africa, will invite visitors to Oude Leeskamer into a sensory encounter in which sight, sound, taste and memory converge. 

Stamina is central to navigating the annual Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. Strauss & Co is co-ordinating two coffee raves, vibrant pre-work gatherings to kick-off the day at the festival. Meet at De Warenmarkt at 20 Ryneveld Street on Monday, 5 October at 7am and Eerste Kafeeversameling at the corner of Koch and Suidwal roads on Wednesday, 7 October at 7am.