Shortlisted artists vie for R40,000 prize and solo exhibition.

Cape Town based gallery StateoftheART is pleased to announce the ten artists shortlisted for the 2021 StateoftheART Gallery Award.

A panel of five judges oversaw the shortlist selection process and will continue to participate for the final determination round. The finalists were chosen from more than 600 submissions from across South Africa, with the judges scoring the artists on the creativity, originality and technical skill of their entries to this year's Award theme ‘On The Brink, Visualising Climate Change’.

“I would like to thank the jury panel of Strijdom van der Merwe, Ashraf Jamal, Nadja Daehnke and Lucinda Jolly for their dedication to this thoughtful process, and to all of the artists for their participation this year. We look forward to announcing the winner at the opening ceremony of the Finalists Exhibition in October” says Jennifer Reynolds, owner of StateoftheART.

Climate crisis is the defining issue of our lifetimes and has recently come to the fore with the release of the UN's latest IPCC Assessment report earlier this month, which The Daily Maverick describe as a "code red for humanity". 

“Art can convey in a different way than science the threat that climate change poses to our planet. The world’s best scientists have tried to wake-up politicians to the climate crisis, now we’re counting on artists to help.” – Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org

The work of the shortlisted artists will go on show in a special exhibition at StateoftheART’s Cape Town gallery from 16 - 30 October 2021, and the winner announced at the Award Ceremony on 16 October 2021. The winner will receive a R40 000 cash prize and a solo exhibition with the gallery in 2022.

Shortlisted artists:

• Dominic De Villiers
• Given Muronga
• Janet Ormond
• Kristen McClarty
• Liesl Roos
• Mfundo Sizwe Ziphozonke Mngomezulu
• Rozelle Greyling
• Sylvester Mqeku
• Theophelus Rikhotso
• Tumelo Mphela

For further details on the Award, to be invited to Award Ceremony or to arrange a viewing, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notes to the editors:

The members of the StateoftheART Gallery Award 2021 jury are Strijdom van der Merwe, Ashraf Jamal, Nadja Daehnke, Jennifer Reynolds and Lucinda Jolly.

About the Award: StateoftheART launched the inaugural StateoftheART Gallery Award in February 2018, to unearth undiscovered talent by artists from across South Africa and provide a platform for artists to gain industry recognition and boost their career. The 2019 Award winner Balekane Legoabe held her acclaimed debut solo exhibition ‘What It Feels Like To Be In Water’ in May last year.

About StateoftheART: Established in 2010, StateoftheART is an independent gallery specialising in affordable contemporary art by early and mid career South African artists. The gallery offers an online ‘click-to-buy' service for collectors unable to visit in person.

For further media information/interview opportunities please contact: Andrea Stallbom : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This Spring, Aspire returns to Johannesburg with a much-anticipated auction of Modern art and Contemporary art taking place on 3 September. With this large-scale auction, which presents a collection of 168 works by 103 artists, the company is breaking new ground with a fresh, yet considered selection of artworks that is demographically more representative and reflects the spirit of current times.

With a strong focus on South Africa, the sale also proudly represents artists from 10 African countries (Benin, DRC, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe) and international artists from Europe, the UK and USA. More than half of the lots on offer are by artists of colour, with over a third by women artists. Rare and important historical works are presented alongside an impressive and diverse collection of contemporary art which accounts for a solid 70% of the sale. Photography and new media works make up over 30% of the collection, while 12 new rising stars are introduced. 

Art collectors can look forward to the opportunity to acquire sought-after pieces by outstanding artists through an engaging virtual auction format that will be live-streamed from Aspire’s gallery in Johannesburg. Buyers are invited to make use of telephone and various real-time online bidding platforms. 

Maybe you are interested in African Art or Fine Art

The leading lot in the sale is an exceptional early painting by Gerard Sekoto titled In the beer hall. Painted before Sekoto permanently left South Africa in 1947, it was first exhibited at Gainsborough Gallery in Johannesburg circa 1939/40. The painting is a fine example of Sekoto’s new found oil technique at the time and considered one of the earliest images of black people painted sympathetically by a black artist. Another important painting from Sekoto’s ‘golden-era’ period on auction is the radiant Portrait of a young woman. Early paintings by Sekoto of this quality are very rare and seldom come to market. 

Two impressive works by Sekoto’s brother-in-arms, George Pemba, also feature. Both painted in the 1970s, a period of great artistic maturation for Pemba, The Wedding and Congregation are exemplary of Pemba’s unique social realist works. 

A great highlight is Edoardo Villa’s monumental steel sculpture titled Traverse from 1957. Originally commissioned by Monty Sack for the Carlton Hotel, it is one of the largest works Villa ever produced and is testament to his innovative use of steel and new construction methods. Breath-taking in scale, the work is a welded piece constructed from a series of intersecting flat and curved planes of steel. Also on offer is Villa’s impressive Standing Form, a large vertical figure of tubular forms epitomizing South Africa’s rapidly growing industrialization in the 1960s and 70s. 

Works by Ablade Glover, Peter Clarke, Gladys Mgudlandlu, Helen Sebidi, Jackson Hlungwani, Speelman Mahlangu and Diederick During further complement the modern offering.

Headlining the contemporary section is a collection of significant works by William Kentridge, spanning his career. The spotlight falls on the limited edition bronze sculpture set Three Sisters (Sister Cone, Sister Box, Sister Fan) which underlines Kentridge’s masterful use of medium and materials. Produced in 2016, each sculpture takes the form of a human torso with their heads transformed into a propeller fan, a cone dial and a cubic box. Cast in bronze, they are meticulously painted to appear as if made of wood, cardboard and fabric. Ideas around the technological transformation of the human, so beloved by the avant-garde, are beautifully realised in these delightful works, which were recently exhibited in Kentridge’s retrospective Why Should I Hesitate at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town.

The two gracious Dancer Twice charcoal drawings from 1996 are unique for their sublime beauty. Each portrays a dancer leaping forward with effortless ease while the folds of their diaphanous tunics gracefully animate the action. Complementing these drawings are two sets of prints Dancer Twice and Dancer Twice (Reverse), each with their own distinctive handmade elements. This editioned series, made from the original drawings also on sale, marked the birth of digital printing in South Africa. By working with charcoal and wash on the prints, Kentridge transformed each into a unique piece.

Works by eminent contemporary artists include early ceramic sculptures by Nicholas Hlobo from his Sit - on or stand up and be counted installation; Sam Nhlengethwa’s large oil and collage on canvas interior diptych; a large bronze sculpture titled One Party State (2010) by Brett Murray, and a captivating bust by Wim Botha from his Witness series. A welcomed addition is Gerald Machona’s delicate work The Tulip (Turkey).

Of the powerful women’s voices featured in the sale is Penny Siopis with a striking painting Spirit Matter (2016) rendered in ink and glue on canvas – an experimental medium now synonymous with the artist’s work, but rarely available on the secondary market. Others include Judith Mason’s visually captivating paintings, Diane Victor’s large-scale triptych No Hope, No Guts, No Glory (1991), and significant photographic and performative works by Zanele Muholi, Berni Searle, Tracey Rose, Mary Sibande, Bridget Baker and newcomer to auction Khanyisile Mbongwa.

Following Aspire’s recently achieved world record at auction of €34,150 for a single photograph by renowned photographer David Goldblatt in Paris in June, four scarce and highly sought-after photographs from his Particulars, Johannesburg, Some Afrikaners Photographed and Fietas series are offered as part of an outstanding photographic range which further includes photos by Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou, Hasan and Husain Essop, Jo Ractliffe and Guy Tillim.

Available on auction for the first time locally is a sculpture by El Loko whose permanent installation can be seen at Zeitz MOCAA, and a large expressive painting from by George Hughes titled Yellow Rage.

Concluding the auction with delightful humor is Robert Hodgins’ vibrant painting, A Suit of Flames and a Brooks Bros’ Shirt from 1997, which is sure to draw attention.

CATALOGUE AVAILABLE

The fully illustrated and interactive catalogue is available online and can be downloaded from Aspire Art's website

STATEOFTHEART GALLERY AWARD 2019 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Cape Town based gallery StateoftheART is pleased to announce the 10 artists shortlisted for the second edition of the StateoftheART Gallery Award

After careful consideration of several hundred entries by artists from across South Africa, the judges have shortlisted 10 artists working in a number of mediums including painting, photography, digital art and printmaking. The work of the shortlisted artists will go on show in a special exhibition at StateoftheART’s Cape Town gallery from 27 August to 14 September 2019, and the winner announced at the Award Ceremony on 05 September 2019. The winner will be awarded a R20 000 cash prize and a solo exhibition with the gallery in 2020.

For further details on the Award, to be invited to Award Ceremony or to arrange a viewing, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Shortlisted artists:
Nonkululeko Sibande; Simon Venter; Laurette de Jager; Balekane Legoabe; Natasha Brown; Minenkulu Ngoyi; Larissa Mwanyama; Christelle Viviers; Damian Osborne; Monique Day-Wilde.

-- ENDS --

Notes to the editors:
The members of the StateoftheART Gallery Award 2019 jury are Mirjam Asmal, director of the AVA; Chris Denovan, visual artist; Carol Hodes, curator and collector; Jennifer Reynolds, founder of StateoftheART. 

About the Award
StateoftheART launched the inaugural StateoftheART Gallery Award in February 2018, to unearth undiscovered talent by artists from across South Africa and provide a platform for artists to gain industry recognition and boost their career. The 2018 Award winner Jo Roets held her acclaimed  debut solo exhibition ‘Mʌn.tɹə Mãe’ in May this year. 

About StateoftheART
Established in 2010, StateoftheART is a boutique gallery specialising in affordable contemporary art by early and mid career South African artists. The gallery offers an online ‘click-to-buy' service for collectors unable to visit in person. 

For further media information/interview opportunities please contact: Jennifer Reynolds or Andrea Stallbom

StateoftheART is pleased to announce the winner of the StateoftheART Gallery Award 2018.

The Award aims to champion contemporary art by emerging artists resident in South Africa, increasing exposure for their work, and encouraging further professional development opportunities.

The winning artist, Jo Roets, is based in Cape Town, and her light relief clay sculptures reference the various cultures of South Africa: symbolic patterns and shapes inspired by Islamic prayer mats, Ndebele aprons and neck pendants, Zulu earplugs and beer pots - and patterns from her grandmother’s doilies.

The ten shortlisted finalists were selected from hundreds of artists from across South Africa who applied for the Award. Two works by each of the finalists went on show earlier this month for the final round of judging in a group exhibition held at StateoftheART in Cape Town. Mirjam Asmal, Director, AVA; Mandy Conidaris, Director OOTC Gallery and artist; Carol Hodes, Curator and Collector; Macx Ncevu, Award Winning Photographer and Jennifer Reynolds, Director of StateoftheART, comprised this year’s panel of respected art professionals who named Roets the overall Award winner.

The Award Finalists exhibition reflected a broad range of media. As well as Jo Roets, the show featured the work of: Adele van Heerden, Chloe Obermeyer, Lebogang Mabusela, Anina Deetlefs, Janna Prinsloo, Tina Teles, Anna-Carien Goosen, Nadine Hansen and Lezanne Kotze.

As the 2018 winner, Jo Roets will receive a prize of a solo exhibition in 2019, and a R10 000 cash award to support the development of new work.

Jo Roets said, “Entering this competition connected me with fellow artists and like-minded people. StateoftheART did not follow the typical art competition model but invented a fresh and creative way of presenting this competition, changing the typical format and chronology of events. This meant that finalists had the opportunity to meet each other on social media before meeting in real life. This distinct characteristic of StatetoftheART sets them apart from other galleries. They really do value the importance of online presence highly. To have your work and name be seen by thousands of people is a win in itself - a spin-off of being a finalist.

As an artist it is one thing to set out goals. The challenge comes when action needs to be taken towards achieving these goals. Part of the process is working long hours, fighting through self-doubt and hoping that my work would be good enough. This is why I am extremely grateful for winning this award and gaining the recognition that it has afforded me. It is a self-doubt eliminator. My excitement for my very first solo exhibition cannot be contained. I can hardly wait to start the process and to begin planning towards the show.”

Director of StateoftheART, Jennifer Reynolds said, “We are thrilled to be working with Jo Roets and we hope the solo exhibition will present Jo with a fabulous opportunity to develop her work and career, and it will be a real treat for our audience in May 2019.

The quality and standard of work submitted to the inaugural StateoftheART Gallery Award was outstanding and we congratulate the winner and all the entrants on their inspiring artworks. We look forward to following their developing careers, and wish them and each of our shortlisted entrants all the success for the future."

Jo Roets air-dryed clay sculptural pieces are currently on display at StateoftheART.

Join the conversation by using the hashtag #SOTAAward on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can discover more about the exhibiting artists by visiting the Gallery’s website: www.stateoftheart-gallery.com

Cape Town based gallery StateoftheART is pleased to announce the 10 artists shortlisted for the inaugural StateoftheART Gallery Award 2018.

After careful consideration of several hundred entries by artists from around South Africa, the judges have shortlisted 10 artists working across a number of mediums including sculpture, painting and printmaking. The work of the shortlisted artists will go on show in a special exhibition at StateoftheART’s Cape Town gallery from 06 – 22nd September 2018 for the final round of judging.

The winner will be awarded a R10 000 cash prize and a solo exhibition with the gallery in 2019.

For further details on the Award, to be invited to the opening event or to arrange a viewing, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Shortlisted artists:

Jo Roets; Janna Prinsloo; Anna-Carien Goosen; Nadine Hansen; Lezanne Kotze; Adele Van Heerden; Anina Deetlefs; Lebogang Mabusela; Tina Teles; Chloe Obermeyer.

…ENDS…

Notes to the editors
The members of the StateoftheART Gallery Award jury are Mirjam Asmal, director of the AVA; Mandy Conidaris, visual art consultant, art writer, and visual arts educator; Carol Hodes, curator and collector; Masixole Ncevu, award-winning artist and photographer; Jennifer Reynolds, founder of StateoftheART. 

About the Award
StateoftheART launched the inaugural StateoftheART Gallery Award in February 2018, to unearth undiscovered talent by artists from around South Africa and provide a platform for artists to gain industry recognition and boost their career. Five respected people involved in the art industry have selected the shortlist of 10 finalists whose work shows originality, a strong signature in a South African context, and technical skill.

About StateoftheART
Established in 2010, StateoftheART is a boutique gallery specialising in affordable contemporary art by early and mid career South African artists. The gallery offers an online ‘click-to-buy' service for collectors unable to visit in person.

For further media information/interview opportunities please contact
Jennifer Reynolds on 072 4709272 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Andrea Stallbom on 061 129 1899 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.