StateoftheART is pleased to announce the winner of the StateoftheART Gallery Award 2021.

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. Entrants were asked to submit work to the theme ‘On The Brink: Visualising Climate Change’ and were challenged to engage with the reality of climate crisis and its impact within a South African context.

The 2021 Award recipient is Sylvester Zanoxolo Mqeku, who is currently studying towards his Masters degree at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein.

The ten shortlisted finalists were selected from hundreds of entries by artists from across South Africa. Two works by each of the finalists went on show earlier this month for the final round of judging in a group exhibition. This year’s panel of esteemed judges are Ashraf Jamal, writer and art critic; Strijdom van der Merwe, Africa’s foremost land artist; Nadja Daehnke, Director of the Irma Stern Museum; Lucinda Jolly, arts lecturer, writer & academic - and Jennifer Reynolds, owner of StateoftheART.  The Award Finalists exhibition reflects a broad range of media. As well as sand-cast ceramics by Mqeku, the show features the work of: Janet Ormond, Theophelus Rikhotsu, Rozelle Greyling, Tumelo Mphela, Kristen McClarty, Given Muronga , Mfundo Sizwe Ziphozonke Mngomezulu, Liesl Roos and Dominic de Villiers.

The judges highly commended Janet Ormond and Theophelus Rikhotso whose artworks highlights the talent, variety of mediums, and ideas in contemporary art practice.

As the winner of the 2021 Award, Mqeku receives a cash prize of R40 000 to support the development of new work, and a solo exhibition with StateoftheART Gallery in 2022.

Gallery owner Jennifer Reynolds said, “In its third year, the Gallery Award continues to raise the profile of contemporary artists working at the vanguard of their discipline. As the only artist in Africa with a ceramic studio dedicated to the use of sand-casting, Mqeku fully embodies the spirit of the Award.”

The Award Finalists Exhibition concludes Saturday 30 October 2021.

StateoftheART is pleased to announce the winner of the StateoftheART Gallery Award 2021

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About StateoftheART

StateoftheART is an innovative boutique-style gallery and e-commerce platform representing selected emerging and mid-career visual artists from across South Africa.Established in 2010 and a pioneer in the online art market in South Africa, StateoftheART showcases a carefully curated collection of affordable contemporary art conveniently available through their 'click-to-buy' service for collectors unable to visit the Cape Town gallery in person. StateoftheART opened its physical doors in the center of Cape Town in 2013 with two objectives: to meet the desire of artists for their works to be seen in 'real-life' and to reassure buyers of the quality of artwork, giving them peace of mind when investing online.

The gallery hosts an exciting program of exhibitions by up-and-coming local artists at their Cape Town gallery located at The Square, 50 Buitenkant Street, in the trendy east precinct of the city center.

For more information visit the website or contact:Jennifer Reynolds

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T: +27 (0)61 129 1899

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.