Siyabonga Phili (Durban)
Fishbrain, 2026 Gouache 45,5 cm x 35 cm Artist’s Statement The painting depicts the artist’s lived experiences with autism. A state of being that is defined by a constant influx of overlapping stimuli. Internal sensations and external impressions that collide and merge, flooding both the brain and body. This is why I often say: I […]
Mohapi Pepenene (Pretoria)
Kopano: Red plurism, 2026 Multimedia drawing on paper 41,5 cm x 41,5 cm Artist’s Statement I draw while in transit, through peri urban fringes and rural corridors where the ground beneath Black life is neither fully inherited nor securely held. Using ink and alcohol markers, I render landscapes that begin as recognisable sites and progressively […]
Kaitlyn Pay (Pretoria)
Stained sanctuary, 2025 Video, Edition of 3 290 seconds Artist’s Statement Stained sanctuary centres on the bathroom, a ritualistic space for privacy and vulnerability but then transforms it into a landscape of unease where past trauma continually resurfaces. It explores the enduring psychological echoes of trauma and sexual assault through the subversion of private spaces. […]
Tshego Papo (Potchefstroom)
Inscriptions of trauma series, 2025 Digital paintings Diptych: (2) 122 cm x 69,5 cm Artist’s Statement Tshegofatso Ruth Papo’s artistic practice is rooted in her personal history, shaped by experiences of childhood sexual trauma, girlhood, and memory. These formative experiences guide her exploration of sexuality as both intimate and violent, tender and wounding. At the […]
Mvuyo Nxele (Johannesburg)
Collapse, 2026 Metallic acrylic colour and acrylic paint 89,5 cm x 125 cm Artist’s Statement Through a meticulously hand painted pixelated grid, this work captures a sunset to examine how digital screen mediation fragments our experience of the natural world. Constructed with mainly metallic paint, the sunset shifts dynamically with the viewer’s movement, a quality […]
Okuhle Ntshweni (Gqeberha)
Uneasy lies the Head that Wears the crown, 2026 Photographic print on 250gsm gloss paper 52,5 cm x 42,5 cm Artist’s Statement In this self-portrait, I stand beneath the overwhelming expanse of the sky, dwarfed by the negative space above. The expectations that men carry – stoicism and resilience – the expectations I carry. Manhood […]
Sive Ntombana (Gqeberha) | Artwork 2
Oomathotholo bayeza, 2025 Collected ochres and primer on blanket 200 cm x 176 cm Artist’s Statement Oomathotholo bayeza (the return) is part of a body of work that is a practice-based research project that explores the concept of trauma in the Xhosa rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. The body of work looks at how trauma […]
Sive Ntombana (Gqeberha) | Artwork 1 | 2026 Runner-Up
Umlandeli, 2025 Collected ochres and primer on blanket 95 cm x 86 cm Artist’s Statement Umlandeli is part of a body of work that is a practice-based research project that explores the concept of trauma in the Xhosa rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. The body of work looks at how trauma is interpreted, engaged with […]
Siphokuhle Vukubi (Ngotatomkhulu) (Pretoria)
Inkomo, 2025 Metal, enamel mugs, spoons, forks Installation: 106 cm x 197 cm x 227 cm Artist’s Statement Inkomo is a sculptural installation consisting of 14 cattle figurines and forms part of the broader body of work, UMTHOMBO (The Source of water). The series draws on the symbolic importance of cattle within Xhosa culture, where […]
Amogelang Ngake (Potchefstroom)
Momeno wa seaparo sa gagwe, 2026 Mixed media 103 cm x 124,5 cm Artist’s Statement Momeno wa seaparo sa gagwe (the hem of his garment II) is part of an ongoing body of work that reflects on my matriarchal lineage and the ways generations of women in my family have navigated pain, survival, care, and […]