An Avant-garde and accomplished Zimbabwe born artist was on cloud nine and in loss of words after being named the 2024 FNB Art Prize at an esteemed event in Rosebank.
The introvert artist told this publication on the sidelines he never thought he would one day be gracing a podium and told he is a winner of this prestigious prize.
“I am super excited. Going forward from here, I want to be one of the best contemporary artist through painting. I want to be able to tell my stories professionally in a esoteric way. I am also open and flexible to study further,” said Tapiwa Nyaude.
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2024 FNB Art Prize winner announcement
06 August 2024 – 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 proud to announce the winner of the 2024 FNB Art Prize: Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude.
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, Peju Alatise, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Turiya Magadlela, Portia Zvavahera,Nelisiwe Xaba, Mocke J van Veuren, Kudzanai Chiurai, 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.”
Born and raised in Mbare, Harare, 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.
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Tickets to the fair are now available at tickets.tixsa.co.za/event/fnb-art-joburg
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