20 August 2021

StateoftheART Gallery Award 2021 - FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Submitted by: Jennifer
StateoftheART Gallery Award 2021 - FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

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.

StateoftheART Gallery

Established in 2010 and a pioneer in the online art market in South Africa, StateoftheART re-imagines the brick-and-mortar art gallery experience for the digital age, differentiating itself through full transparency and accessibility. Our pricing structure is clear and straightforward with the majority of the proceeds from a sale being returned to the artist who created the work. Importantly, our pricing is very competitive, leaving no room to incentivise buyers with discounts. The StateoftheART Gallery Award, a not-for-profit initiative, was founded by the gallery in 2018 to promote artists who have yet to establish a profile on the contemporary South African art scene - so when you buy art from StateoftheART you’re directly supporting artists.