Opened this month in the magnificent city of Cape Town is the largest and most impressive modern art gallery in South Africa. Baroque Travel finds out all about, and where to stay in the city’s on trend Silo District
Just another great reason to spend the Festive Season in the Southern Hemisphere… Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) is home to more than 100 galleries displaying an extraordinary collection of contemporary 21st Century art from all over Africa as well as numerous temporary exhibitions, a Costume Institute and no less than six research centers including the Roger Ballen Foundation Center for Photography, the Center for the Moving Image, the Center for Performative Practice and the Center for Curatorial Excellence.
The museum is housed in a completely transformed 1920s Grain Silo that has been a landmark on Cape Town’s skyline for almost a century. The person who is responsible for this transformation is British architect Thomas Heatherwick, of Heatherwick Studios, who designed the museum with inspiration from a grain of corn. His ingenious glass windows bulge outwards as if they have been inflated a little and at night, the entire building is transformed into a glowing beacon welcoming visitors to Table Bay Harbor. These glazed paneled windows are just one of the unique features of this masterpiece of architecture, that has managed to retain much of the Silo’s original history.
Everybody who has visited this exceptional museum since it opened in late September has been overwhelmed by its beauty and perspective. The new Silo District, which includes the museum as well as the ultra-luxurious Silo Hotel, located above the museum in same building as well as various uprmarket stores, has become the most popular location to visit in Cape Town. So if you’re planning to visit this exceptional contemporary art museum, we suggest a stay there.
Located in the grain elevator portion of the historic Grain Silo, the hotel occupies six floors above Zeitz MOCAA. Since it opened earlier in 2017, it has received much acclaim, not only for its exceptional beauty and eclectic interiors, but also for its offerings. Every single one of the 28 guest rooms and the penthouse in the hotel offers breathtaking panoramic views of Cape Town, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and Table Mountain.
Every aspect of the hotel celebrates art, style, architecture and design. It really is a tribute to timeless glamor and contemporary luxe. Rooms were individually designed and decorated using colourful, eclectic pieces by hotel owner Liz Biden.
There are numerous dining experiences on offer, all overseen by Executive Chef Veronica Canha-Hibbert, including casual and contemporary menus for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, bar snacks and an already legendary Sunday roast. Restaurants include the more formal Granary Café and lunch and sunset cocktails are served on the Silo Rooftop. There’s also the Willaston Bar, where guests enjoy drinks and a selection of bar snacks.