Founded by Tzaneen born South African celebrated visual artist, art patron and benefactor, Blessing Ngobeni, the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize (BNAP), aims to among other things create a pathway for young, emerging visual artists to break into to the notoriously difficult art scene by ensuring they have much needed resources and ecosystem support.
Kaebetswe Seema, 2024. Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize Winner. © Kaebetswe Seema
The award, which is one of a few that focusses exclusively on visual artists between the age of 18-35 who work with and in mediums such as sculpture, drawing, painting, and mixed media who have not held a solo exhibition and who are not represented by a gallery.
The Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize which is now in its 8th year has over the years partnered with several entities who are part of the visual arts ecosystem including Everard Read/CIRCA Gallery, The Melrose Gallery, Art Angels, Bag Factory, MMArtHouse, Ellis House Art Building, Aspire Art Auctions, Infra-Afrika Advisory, Nyiko Enterprise, Art Lefatshe Fine Art consultancy and development agency, and Boschendal among others.
For the 2024 edition, partners included the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO), who presented the DALRO Visual Arts Merit Award and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), which also hosted the event and who presented the JSE Art Collection Acquisition prize.
LEFT: Tshepo Bopape, 2024. DALRO Visual Arts Merit Award. Photographer: Sipho Dzumbira. RIGHT: Lerato Ntili, 2024. JSE Art Collection Acquisition Prize Award. © Lerato Ntili
Johannesburg based visual artist, Keabetswe Seema, was this year’s winner of the coveted Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize. The prize gives her an opportunity to do a studio residency which will culminate in a solo exhibition at the Everhard Read/CIRCA Gallery in Cape Town.
For Keabetswe, winning this award means she will be able to create new work and at the same time firmly establish herself within the local and international art scene.
“I get the opportunity to develop a fresh new body of work with the assistance of resources and materials that I wouldn’t have been able to develop on my own. Not only that but I get to bridge over into the South African art market which can be such a challenge for emerging artists like myself. Winning this award gets me one step closer to establishing myself as a well renowned black female artist in the South African and international landscape”, says Seema.
The other winners included Tshepo Bopape who was awarded the DALRO Visual Arts Merit Award and Lerato Ntili who was awarded the JSE Art Collection Acquisition Prize.
Tonderai Chiyindiko is an arts writer, theatre reviewer, film critic, professional actor, lecturer, creative industries researcher and consultant. His writing has been featured in publications such asZam Magazine, The Other Side of Paradise, Creative Feel Magazine, The African Theatre Magazine, The Journalist, Huffington Post, The Zimbabwean, Newsday Zimbabwe and the now defunct NewFrame Magazine.
He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
