Artists

Mongezi Ncaphayi was born in 1983 in Benoni in Eastern Gauteng, South Africa, where he currently lives and works. Following his graduation with a Diploma in Art & Design from the Ekurhuleni East College-Benoni in 2005, Ncaphayi completed a Professional Printmaking Course at Artist Proof Studio in 2008. In 2012, Ncaphayi obtained a Certificate in Advanced Studies from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, USA, and went on to receive multiple awards and grants, both locally and internationally. Notably, in 2013, Ncaphayi was the recipient of the prestigious Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award, earning him a three-month residency at the Cité Des Arts in Paris, France. In 2011, Ncaphayi received the Ampersand Foundation Fellowship in New York City, NY, USA, and in 2016, he was awarded the Prince Claus Fund Grant in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Artist-in-residency programmes include The Atelier le Grand Village Residency in Angouleme, France, in 2014 and the Thami Mnyele Foundation Residency in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2016. In 2019, he won the Africa First Art Prize at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, which included a fully paid 1-month residency in Israel. The works produced during the residency were first exhibited at the Tiroche Residence in Jaffa in December 2019 and then again at the VIP lounge of the ICTAF Art Fair in February 2020.

In 2016, Ncaphayi presented his inaugural solo exhibition, Spirit’s Response, which debuted at the ABSA Art Gallery in Johannesburg. Ncaphayi has participated in several international group exhibitions and public art projects since the start of his career in 2006. His work is included in many important collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC, USA; Museum of Fine Arts and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, USA; Thami Mnyele Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Bibliothéque Nationale de France, Paris, France; The Ampersand Foundation, London, UK; Cuciano Benetton Foundation, Treviso, Italy; Mastercard Collection and ABSA Art Gallery, Johannesburg; The Royal Portfolio Collection, Cape Town; The Weise Collection, Stellenbosch; and David Krut Projects, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and New York City, NY, USA.