Editorial

As November ushers in the end of 2016, auction season is here. New kids on the block, Aspire Art Auctions, held their debut sale in Johannesburg on Monday night injecting the market place with a new platform for historical, modern contemporary art.

Staying in Johannesburg, heavyweight contenders Strauss & Co. will host their summer auction this coming Monday. With Aspire attracting similar lots as well as featuring rare cutting edge works not traditionally seen on the secondary circuit, it be fair to surmise that prospective consigners will be keeping a sharp eye as the market diversifies with serious sale precedents coming from alternative venues.

In other news, as the attention of the country was firmly fixed on the proceedings of the Northern Gauteng High Court where the UDM, the EFF, the DA and COPE all sought to have Citizen Number 1 and his cronies’ interdict against the release of the #statecapturereport quashed, a different kind of drama played itself out in the Western Cape High Court.

There, photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa stands accused of the brutal murder of sex worker Nokuphila Kumalo in 2013. Represented by the fluffy legal pitbull William Booth who is notorious for ensuring that his high profile clients walk free, the case has been defined by a series of stop-start proceedings that has seen justice consistently delayed. The trial is set to resume next week Monday. Be sure to watch adjective’s twitter handle @theadjective_ for live tweets of the proceedings.