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 SessionStrauss & Co is honoured to host this prestigious benefit auction on behalf of the fourth exhibition of The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025, sponsored by Schroders.
The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025 continues to support 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.
The 27 finalists will showcase their shortlisted artworks at an exhibition at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, open to the public from 4 February to 20 April 2025. All works are offered on this Strauss & Co online auction. The auction aims to generate significant funds for both the shortlisted artists and Norval Foundation’s Learning Centre, with proceeds split equally.
The Grand Prize, to be announced on 18 February, includes a cash award of $35 000, and a solo exhibition at the Norval Foundation. Additionally, the public is invited to vote for their favourite artist and artwork, with the most popular receiving The Public Vote Prize of $2 000. New to this year, the FAMM Women’s Prize is awarded to the highest-rated female artist (excluding the Grand Prize Winner). This artist will receive $5 000 in cash, generously donated by the sponsors of this special prize, Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins (FAMM).
For Shipping enquires, 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
The artworks are on view at the Norval Foundation from 4th February to 20th April 2025
About this Item
signed
Notes
In Loathing in Silence, Shabu Mwangi reflects on the emotional void that can arise from the constant act of serving others, a feeling that can gradually become overwhelming and lead to self-loathing. Throughout the creation of the painting, the artist contemplated how society often traps us in cycles of emotional labor, where excessive empathy and introspection leave us drained. In such states, we may lose ourselves in caring for others, neglecting our own needs and well-being. The work raises the poignant question: does well-being truly matter when, in the absence of intellectual clarity, we are left with self-abnegation?
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