Cape Town’s design-savvy urban developer, Blok, is bringing creativity back to the streets with Art on the Blok 2.0 – Open Art. This bold outdoor exhibition reimagines the future home of ELEVENONB (11 Buiten Street) as an open-air gallery, turning the once-blank site into a dynamic platform for rising artists to shine.
Building on the buzz of last year’s pop-up success, Blok is taking things outside—literally. Before construction begins, the site, formerly known as the legendary Madam Zingara spot, will be transformed into a free and accessible art space, where creativity takes centre stage and the public is invited to explore, engage, and be inspired.
Calling all creatives
Blok is inviting a diverse range of creatives—from visual artists and photographers to sculptors, ceramicists, muralists, metalworkers, and light-based artists—to submit their portfolios for Art on the Blok 2.0 – Open Art. Be it you are working with paint, clay, steel, or light, if your work can hold its own outdoors and handle Cape Town’s summer sun, this is your stage.
Submissions are now open, with entries closing on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. Selected artworks will be showcased at ELEVENONB from early November through February 2026, giving artists the opportunity to exhibit their work free of charge—right in the heart of the city, in an open-air gallery made for public connection and creative expression.
Bringing Cape Town’s creative community together before ELEVENONB debuts
Sharing his passion for the project and the power of art, Jacques van Embden, Founder & CEO of Blok, had this to say:
“Art has always enabled connection. Before ELEVENONB rises, Open Art will be a space for Cape Town’s creative community to exhibit their work. It’s about sparking conversation and belonging by making art accessible to all,” he said.
The exhibition will take place on the future grounds of ELEVENONB—Blok’s most ambitious development yet. Set in a neighbourhood that’s wide open to possibility, opportunity, and connection, ELEVENONB reflects Blok’s vision of urban living: one that brings people closer not just to where they live, but to the community, local culture, and city life all around them.
Submission details
- Deadline for entries: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
- Exhibition period: November 2025 – February 2026
- Venue: ELEVENONB, 11 Buiten Street, Cape Town
- Submit portfolios to: hello@blok.co.za
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