Zimbabwean artist Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude wins the prestigious FNB Art Prize for 2024
The Mbare born artist joins previous winners Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Dada Khanyisa, Wycliffe Mundopa, Lady Skollie, Bronwyn Katz, Haroon Gunn-Salie, PejuAlatise, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Turiya Magadlela, Portia Zvavahera, Nelisiwe Xaba, Mocke J van Veuren, Kudzanai Chiurai, and Cedric Nunn.
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
The organisers remarked that as soon as the media invite went out, there was a deluge of responses from the media, confirming their attendance of the vent.
This in a way confirms the FNB Art Fair as the African continent’s oldest, having the distinction of being the first art fair in Africa. The art fair this year is celebrating its 17th anniversary.
FNB Art fair has humble beginnings. When it was launched at the Sandton Convention Centre, many, even in the creative sector, had not before been to an art fair, and therefore most of us who attended the event were newbies to an art fair. The launch itself was attended by heavyweights in society, including by then Premier Mbhazima Sholowa who gave the key address to the event.
And now of course we know all about art fairs, as the country, besides the FNB Art Joburg, boasts a number of art fairs that have since been launched in the country, of course inspired by FNB Art Joburg.
Today we are spoilt for choice as there is the Latitudes Art Fair, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair and Turbine Art Fair among others that keep the art heartbeat of the country. And this is in addition to a thriving secondary market mainly driven by the country’s three leading auction houses, Strauss &Co, Aspire Art and Stephan &Welz, making the country a leader on the African continent when it comes to the art scene and its eco-system.
On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, the media types who attended the media launch of the art fair, which also served as a platform to announce this year’s winner of the muchcoveted art prize associated with the art fair, FNB Art Prize, were again told by the art fair’s boss MKandla Sebekothat this year the event will host 14 African countries that will be represented and over 100 artists will be participating at the art fair.
That on its own is an achievement, given the fact that contemporary art sales in the past year have taken a nose dive globally. But this setback has not deterred African galleries from participating at this year’s FNB Art Joburg.
As Africa’s leading and longest running contemporary art fair, FNB Art Joburg’s mandate is to sustainably support and grow the continent’s cultural offering in ways that go beyond the fair. One of the ways this is achieved is through the annual FNB Art Prize. For its 14th year, FNB Art Joburg is announced the winner of the 2024 FNB Art Prize: Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude, born in the sprawling Harare ghetto of Mbare.
The 2024 FNB Art Prize jury is made up of Kim Kandan (fair manager, FNB Art Joburg representative), Lezanne Viviers (collector, creative director, founder of VIVIERS) and Mfundi Vundla (collector, veteran film, and television producer). On their decision, the jury for the 2024 FNB Art Prize said, “There is a compelling balance between hope and political resistance in Gresham’s work. His adept use of satire allows him to navigate and illuminate complex, often contentious, topics with a nuanced approach that invites viewers to engage critically. Additionally, his commitment to the medium is evident in his technique and his sophisticated use of color. This control over brushwork not only showcases his technical skills but also enhances the expressive power of his work.”
By winning the FNB Art Prize, Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude joins previous winners Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Dada Khanyisa, Wycliffe Mundopa, Lady Skollie, Bronwyn Katz, Haroon Gunn-Salie, PejuAlatise, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Turiya Magadlela, Portia Zvavahera,Nelisiwe Xaba, Mocke J van Veuren, KudzanaiChiurai, and Cedric Nunn.
Faye Mfikwe, FNB Chief Marketing Officer, says, “We congratulate Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude on winning the 2024 FNB Art Prize. The FNB Art Prize has become one of the most coveted art prizes on the African continent. As a brand, we remain focused on supporting the creative economy and ensuring that contemporary African art remains a consistent player in the global art landscape. We are immensely proud to of our long-standing sponsorship of FNB Art Joburg and also of the FNB Art Prize, which, for many of the winning artists, have served as a steppingstone on the road to being recognized by the international art scene.”
Nyaude’s images oscillate between figuration, abstraction, and hallucination. To do this, the artist draws from the restless energy of his neighbourhood and country, where more than 70% of the population is under the age of 30. Living on the edge between survival and chaos his visual messages swing between brutal and sentimental. Defying characterisation, his renders capture a generation’s absurdly relentless drive to attain and maintain dignity and a quality of life that sometimes appears beyond reach.
“When you look back at the calibre of artists who have won this prize, they are awe inspiring to the public and their peers. They find new ways to use existing materials to interrogate important issues,” says FNB Art Joburg’s Managing Director, Mandla Sibeko. “Gresham is no different. The way he approaches the canvas with paint continues the reflective, conscious, and delicate legacies that the medium has offered through previous winners.”
Following Mundopa, Zvavahera and Chiurai, Nyaude fortifies Zimbabwe’s contemporary contribution to African mastery in the medium of painting.
Spanning 16 years, Nyaude’s work has achieved international acclaim and collector recognition. In 2018 he presented a major body of work in the United States of America as part of Songs for Sabotage at the New Museum Triennial. His work also sits in the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Museum of Contemporary African Art Al Maaden (Macaal), Rubell Family Collection, Jorge Perez personal collection and numerous notable private collections.
As the winner of the 2024 prize, Nyaude will receive a cash prize as well as a solo exhibition at Johannesburg Art Gallery where the largest art collection, on the continent, resides.
Tickets to the fair are now available at tickets.tixsa.co.za/event/fnb-art-joburg