Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025 sponsored by Schroders

Timed Online Auction, 31 January - 13 March 2025

Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025 sponsored by Schroders
About the Session

Strauss & Co are delighted to present The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025, sponsored by Schroders, benefit auction.

The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025 supports contemporary artists working in Africa or within the African diaspora by expanding their international reach in the global art market while also raising funds for arts education initiatives across the continent. A collaboration between The Sovereign Art Foundation and the Norval Foundation, the Prize celebrates the work of some of the most significant contemporary artists today.

You can view the work by the 28 finalists at an exhibition at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, open to the public until 20 April 2025. All works are offered on the Strauss & Co online auction, closing Thursday 13 March 2025, from 2 pm. The auction aims to generate significant funds for both the shortlisted artists and Norval Foundation’s Learning Centre, with proceeds split equally.

Norval Foundation and The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) are delighted to announce Modupeola Fadugba as the Grand Prize Winner for The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025, sponsored by Schroders. With her work, Portrait Of An Artist At Ease, Modupeola Fadugba from Nigeria, is the 4th winner of the prize, which seeks to celebrate the practices of leading contemporary artists and aims to benefit them by further increasing their exposure to an international audience. As well as the honour, Modupeola Fadugba will be awarded a cash prize to the value of US$35,000, the opportunity for a solo exhibition at Norval Foundation in Cape Town, and a two-week cultural residency at Outset Contemporary Art Fund in London. In addition, the very first winner of the FAMM Women's Prize was awarded to DuduBloom More, the highest-rated female artist (excluding the Grand Prize Winner), for her work Contending With Control.

For Shipping enquiries, please contact: Jenna-Leigh Kleingeld +27 (0)87 654 5900 accounts@norvalfoundation.org
For Condition enquiries, please contact: Carmen Joubert +27 (0)67 375 7791 carmen.joubert@norvalfoundation.org


Current Bid

-
Lot 19
  • Mohau Modisakeng; Untitled
  • Mohau Modisakeng; Untitled


Lot Estimate
ZAR 120 000 - 180 000
Current Bid
Starting at ZAR 110 000
Shipping
Condition Report
May include additional detailed images
Need more information?

About this Item

South African 1986-
Untitled
2024

edition 1/5 +2AP

photographic print on dibond
150 by 150 by 7cm including frame

Notes

This untitled photographic series marks the latest instalment in Mohau’s ongoing self-portraiture exploration, which began in 2010. Like his previous works, the series delves into themes of history, memory, and identity within the framework of post-colonial African society. The figure in the series is set against a green backdrop, depicted in various poses while draped over a hammock. Their face is concealed by a trilby hat adorned with bees, and they hold brass cowbells tied together by a green crocheted belt. In other images, the figure grasps objects like a wooden bellow or a pair of swords. Through these symbolic objects, the series addresses the politics of the Black body, the erasure of African memory, and the role of race in perpetuating new forms of coloniality within South Africa’s socio-political landscape.

View all Mohau Modisakeng lots for sale in this auction