Ananya Releases her New Single and Music Video ‘Happy’

Oct 25, 2024 | New Release, Music

In a powerful confluence of art and advocacy, rising Pop sensation, singer/songwriter, fashion creative, and mental-health activist, Ananya, releases her latest single, “Happy”, with accompanying visuals coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month. Known for her introspective songwriting and genre-bending soundscapes, Ananya brings listeners on a journey through the complexities of surface emotions and the hidden struggles we often mask behind a smile.

“Happy” is a nostalgic, ambient pop track that captures the duality of emotions—genuine joy intertwined with the lingering uncertainties of happiness. The song, produced in collaboration with Josh Berry, takes listeners through the raw, often messy feelings that arise when happiness is not quite as it seems. It was inspired by a period of introspection where Ananya found herself caught between the desire for clarity and the complexity of emotions that cannot be easily unravelled.

The accompanying music video, directed by Dirk Van Niekerk and filmed against the serene backdrop of Scarborough, Cape Town, visually echoes these themes. As the sun rises over the milky purple-pink sky, Ananya takes viewers on a drive that symbolises the pursuit of authentic happiness. The video captures fleeting moments of joy, uncertainty, and the vulnerable space where surface emotions dissolve, revealing what lies beneath. The simplicity of the visuals—featuring Ananya driving a vintage car named Primrose—draws viewers into the honest emotions that align perfectly with the song’s lyrics.

Listen to ‘Happy’ here

Watch the music video here

Press release courtesy of Sheila Afari PR

Shimza releases his EP ‘Dreaming’

Oct 25, 2024 | New Release, Music

Shimza drops his highly-anticipated EP, ‘Dreaming’ – a love letter to South Africa’s vibrant dance community. This 4-track masterpiece captures the essence of the South African summer, blending Shimza’s signature sound with an exciting collaboration of local talents. ‘Dreaming’ releases exclusively on Shimza’s own label, KUNYE.

Among the collaborators on his EP is South African Amapiano heavyweight Kabza De Small, fellow Afro-Tech producers Vitoto and Jnr SA and vocals by both upcoming talent, Zano and multi-award winning R&B soul singer song-writer Manana.

“This is a very special and personal EP to me, representing where I come from with an all South African feature lineup of both profound and growing talent on my own label Kunye, the platform we created for such things. Dreaming is the the past, present and future of South African electronic music” Shimza

 

Listen to ‘Dreaming’ here

 

Press release courtesy of Sheila Afari

ART THEMES || THEME TWO: THINGS THAT STING

Oct 24, 2024 | Creatives, Art

ART THEMES, our bi-monthly art review is back for its second iteration. In light of Scorpio season, we announce THEME TWO: THINGS THAT STING. Curated according to this thematic concept, we use common themes to collate the work of these great artists – as we make unusual and intriguing connections across ambiguous and clarified perspectives, literal and figurative alike. ⁠

Scorpio season is fast approaching and although a most common, stereotypical reading of this zodiac sign for personality traits would be those who have “inward exploration, mystical consideration, those who seek true intimacy” as well as being known for “having deep emotions, but not always showing them”. It’s with this sign in mind that we introduce the second iteration of Art Themes: Things That Sting. There exists a more literal angle here too, be it a physical ‘ouch!’ or the equally real hurt of heartache or the pain of a global-scale shared loss or systemic tragedies, rooted all in deep feeling through the artists’ eye. Through art, we can be encouraged to maximise our ability to feel empathy, to be reminded of how important it is to move through emotions and grow with them as opposed to fighting them. Take a guided tour through our selected artists and be encouraged to expand your depth of feeling.

 

Luca Evans, “Lead Balloon 1”, 2024, Western Red Cedar Wood and enamel, 19 x 85 x 4 cm. Courtesy of Everard Read.

Luca Evans

“When I was a kid I thought America was magnificent. Things look shiny from far away. I hung the flag on my wall. When I was fifteen I got a dog and named him John F. Kennedy because I thought he was the most handsome president. And I thought it was glamorous and tragic how he got shot in that Lincoln. At a party I met a pretty girl I wanted to impress. I told her about my dog and she asked, ‘Why Kennedy? He dropped bombs in Vietnam.’ That was a lead balloon kind of feeling.”

Luca Evans is a Cape Town based artist, working primarily with wood, and text. Their work sits in a playful and delicate intersection between tradition and alteration, linguistics and visual art.

In this body of work, Luca considers violence, and the impossibility of lightness when everything is heavy. They also explore introducing humour by subverting narratives that are hard to face. Things that sting, like themes of war or weaponry have been reframed: a gun is carved out of wood, rendering it dysfunctional and what’s more: it only shoots balloons.

Kresiah Mukwazhi, “Nyenyedzi nomwe”, 2021, Bra straps on timber frame, 140 x 90 cm detail, courtesy of Blank Projects

Kresiah Mukwazhi

Born in Harare in 1992, Kresiah Mukwazhi creates works which primarily speak to the experience of women, and gender-based violence. “Body Count” continues the artist’s investigation into the female body as a political instrument and a site upon which the power dynamics of patriarchal society are played out. 

The exhibition takes its title from the double meaning of the phrase which refers not only to the number of people killed in a singular event but also, in more casual terms, the number of sexual partners a person has had. Metaphorically linking these concepts of death and sex, the title points to the contrast in attitudes towards male and female sexual expression and how this dangerous double standard reinforces gender-based discrimination and violence. Mukwazhi draws a parallel between these gendered perceptions of promiscuity and the stigmatisation of female sexuality, identified through both the policing and exploitation of women’s bodies.

Blank Projects shares about her work, “Kresiah confronts this misogynistic trope by working directly with these culturally loaded objects. Using hundreds of secondhand bras – smuggled into the country in bulk – she carefully deconstructs each piece of underwear, then stitches together and stretches the straps over frames. The resulting compositions recall the many women whose bodies have worn them; they are permeated with the traces of their previous owners, both in the physical and the ‘energetic’ sense. For Kresiah, the works gesture too at the countless women who have lost their lives due to violence.”

It is not just the bra strap that stings on a physical shoulder or back, but the symbol of underwear, intimacy, gender and sex which carries such weight in our society because of the violence against women.

Kylie Wentzel, “I luv you”, 2021, shutterply, primer and enamel, 1200 x 1500 x 100 mm.  Featured at Kalashnikovv exhibition titled “SALT”, photographed by Samora Chapman.

Kylie Wentzel 

Kylie Wentzel graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2015 and currently lives and works in uMdloti, KwaZulu-Natal. Her desire to break away from artistic conditioning has led her to explore mediums outside of her formal training. She gathers her inspiration from the natural and constructed environments around her, kitsch prints, strong smells, imported goods for sale on a hot city pavement, passing faces, and Tipp-Ex text scribbled on derelict alley walls.

Her exhibition “SALT” (2021) was a mirage meets documentary-style painting exhibition that explores the Durban beachfront. About the work, she says: “It is part of an ongoing study of the natural and constructed environments I find myself in. The study focuses on elements of space, personal connections, observations, stories, objects, structures and reflection.

The Durban beachfront is a space I’ve frequented since my very first days. It’s a place where the blazing sun and salt wears away structures and curios. Where the sand piles up to bury those who sleep on it throughout the night. Some come here to cleanse, and for some it’s to sweat. Here a man builds a BMW out of sand for loose change, and another man’s car keys glisten next to a luminous cocktail. Runners venture out from the suburbs in their packs to find their paths amongst monkey troops and police horses. Children occupy public pools freely, while living fish are contained and sold in empty booze bottles.

This distinctive strip of beach and promenade is a public space for performance, healing, tradition, fitness, shelter, leisure and income. It’s a world of its own within the urban cosmos.”

There is so much to be said about the beachfront location informing Kylie’s practice, including the harshness of Durban, but there also exists a softer underbelly, thereby the warmth and familiarity of these sand-artworks reminds us to stop and appreciate the scenery– ask yourself: how many people were encouraged to echo the sentiment “I luv you” when seeing these artworks?

Chelsea Ann Peter, “letters from a wasp”, 2024, Oil on canvas, 25.8 x 35.5 cm

Chelsea Ann Peter 

Chelsea Ann Peter is multi-disciplinary artist born in Johannesburg and raised in Cape Town. Chelsea received a BAFA from the Michaelis School of Fine Art (2019). Exploring identity politics through the prism of magic realism, her paintings, and her music reveal a journey of profound introspection and processing. Transcending their materiality, the artworks serve as portals that extend an invitation to traverse the depths of unseen universal forces, where light and dark are interwoven tightly. 

About her featured artwork “letters from a wasp”, Chelsea shares that she was “Inspired by two wasps that visited my home one morning, one of which perched upon a ceramic shell that was placed on my coffee table. Though a little uneasy, I felt invited to be still, ask, and listen. 

Wasps often arouse discomfort, but if one’s eyes are nicely open, one will see that even things that sting gift a silver lining tracing a message. Is the wasp a guardian, a threat, or both? The meaning is derived from one’s feelings.” 

While the theme began as an exploration of Scorpio season, it’s revealed that there is such subjectivity in the building of meaning around art. Our sentiment in creating Art Themes is to allow the artists’ expression to reach further, to allow the viewer to receive it and be informed by it, in the hopes that in the unsettling, the difficult, the humorous undercurrents, can aid in the expansion of feeling.

Written by: Grace Crooks

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

NIKE PRESENT RUN JOZI, BRINGING TOGETHER JOBURG’S DYNAMIC RUNNING CREWS

Oct 22, 2024 | Lifestyle, Community

Nike was born from a quest to create the perfect running shoe — suffice to say, this journey remains one of their most relentless pursuits. Running is part of Nike’s deepest heritage codes, and the brand has projected the act of running into the future during the last few decades. Now, Nike are making a call to further the inclusivity and innovation within South Africa’s local running space. The brand is partnering up with varying running crews in Joburg to bring us a series of community-driven events that champion the joy and freedom of running. 

This collaboration is a celebration of the network of runners who exemplify, within the strides and movements of their crew, the community-building and collaboration inherent within the simple act of lacing up and hitting the pavement, altogether as one. 

Runners will trial the Nike Pegasus 41. This cutting-edge shoe marks another significant technological breakthrough for the brand’s origin quest in pursuit of the perfect running shoe. Since 1983, The Nike Pegasus line is a series of running shoes that has been a community staple in Nike’s product lineup — celebrated for its versatility and performance, the Pegasus line has won the hearts of a wide range of runners and abilities, from casual joggers to serious athletes. For Nike, there should be no barriers to accessing the very pinnacle of footwear technology; the Pegasus line is for anyone who runs.

Images courtesy of Nike

NIKE JOZI RUN brings together many participating crews, showcasing Johannesburg’s energetic running scene that includes incredible, community-driven groups like The Pack and Run Tell That (RTT). The Pack is a dynamic all-women’s running movement that provides a safe and empowering environment for female runners of all levels. With its motto, ‘When the Pack calls, we run,’  this group emphasises the strength of unity between women, encouraging members to support one another in achieving their fitness goals and experience safety on the roads. We love to see it. 

Run Tell That (RTT) has established itself as an inclusive movement that connects runners from diverse backgrounds throughout Johannesburg. Founded in December 2016, RTT goes beyond the focus of traditional running clubs by promoting exploration of the city through both road and trail running, allowing members to experience the beauty of Johannesburg while enhancing their mental clarity and physical fitness. What better way to see Jozi than through movement and pace? 

RUNSL and Home Run Club further enrich the city’s running culture by casting urban settings as the perfect backdrop for fitness, while they focus on creating a welcoming space for all. RUNSL combines community, wellness, and city exploration, while Home Run Club has created a supportive tribe in which runners celebrate their victories and push boundaries together. 

The Good Neighbar Running Club emphasises community spirit and inclusivity, creating a welcoming environment for runners of all levels by celebrating personal achievements and building strong connections. In Braamfontein, A Running Clu.b motivates runners of varying experience, offering a supportive space where individuals can set personal fitness goals and enjoy the social benefits of running. Meanwhile, the Run Jozi Crew is a hub where ambition meets community, inspiring runners to pursue their personal bests while overcoming challenges, ensuring every member has the platform to succeed. 

Together, these are some of the crews who embody the spirit of collaboration and resilience that defines Johannesburg’s running community. By uniting runners through a series of collective runs, participants can engage with each crew throughout Johannesburg, as Nike forges an even broader and more connected network within the city’s diverse running culture.

In an age dominated by technology and fast-paced living, running provides a vital opportunity for connection—both with oneself and the communities around us. Group runs and clubs keep us connected and accountable to each other, as we appreciate the resilience of our bodies and the beauty of our surroundings. NIKE RUN JOZI,  means strength in numbers; united we run, together we rise.

 

Let’s run the city as one. 

Book your ticket for Nike Run Jozi here

 

NIKE JOZI RUN SCHEDULE

 

Wednesday, 16 Oct 2024 

Led by Run Tell That, The Pack 

In the evening in Rosebank 

 

Thursday, 17 Oct 2024

Led by Jozi Running Crew and A Running Clu.b

In the evening at 44 Stanley to Braamfontein and Milpark

 

Tuesday, 22 Oct 2024

Led by A Running Clu.b and Jozi Running Crew

In the evening, Braamfontein and Milpark

 

Wednesday, 23 Oct 2024

Led by Benchwarmers 

In the evening, in Rosebank

 

Saturday, 26 Oct 2024

Led by Home Run Club

In the morning in Pretoria 

 

Tuesday, 29 Oct 2024

Led by Shelflife and Good Neighbar Running Club 

In the evening in Parktown and Rosebank

 

Thursday, 31 Oct 2024

Led by Benchwarmers 

In the evening, a post-run celebration

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Cinematic Storytelling Through the Lens of Nondumiso Shange

Oct 21, 2024 | Interviews, Creatives

What I continually find so interesting about Johannesburg are the unique stories which almost each and every inhabitant seems to have. What this rich tapestry of cultures reminds me of is the importance of storytelling–preserving the narratives of our cultures through creative storytelling–something which my next interviewee for CEC, Nondumiso Shange, specialises in to its core and has crafted an entire visual language around.

K-pop, Tumblr, Hong Kong, disposable cameras, the internet, a yearn for travel.

Those are just some of the things which characterised a good portion of our virtual to-and-fro–and elements which I think influenced Nondu from a very young age to discover who she was and amount into the creative which she is today. Nondumiso Shange is a KZN-born and JHB-raised photographer & creative director whose future aspiration is to become a film director. Someone I discovered through the sheer ingeniousness of their craft and someone I had the privilege of befriending early into my personal journey in Johannesburg a few years ago. Personally, what stands out most to me throughout all of Nondu’s visual outputs–are her colour grading abilities. Her work has managed to hone into a new fresh visual aesthetic; one which is cinematically-inclined and highly-saturated, vividly bringing out her subjects. During our conversation, she mentions:

“At the beginning of this year at the Children of Midas exhibition, Mishaal mentioned to me that my colour grading is really good and it’s something I can leverage off of. From there onwards, I placed an emphasis on my grading and how I colour my images. I feel like in South Africa there is already a prominent existing way in which most photographers colour grade their images so I was also trying to set myself apart.”

Portrait of Nondumiso Shange

Photography of Makhundai by Nondumiso Shange

 

Zooming back into Nondumiso’s backstory, after leaving Durban at the age of 3 years old, she ventured into the metropolitan which is Johannesburg which has served as home until today. Cinema & cyberspace have always helped within Nondu’s search for identity and connecting her own lineage. Throughout some of her personal projects she manages to express this yearning for identity and personal expression through cinematic storytelling. Her work with Johannesburg-based brand, Makhundai, being an apt example of her bespoke technique of highly saturated images juxtaposed by backdrops which exhibit her incredible colour grading abilities and achieve the end goal of bringing out her subjects.

From being involved in a wide range of creative programmes with entities such as RMB and Hypebeast Africa, to more recently shooting the eponymous MANOR print magazine x Zoe Modiga cover under the tutelage of Trevor Stuurman–Nondumiso Shange exhibits a plethora of hunger, imagination and innovation, matched with a massive capacity for growth. Remember the iconic Meji Meji story I covered for CEC not too long ago? Yup–she shot the vast majority of the Nigerian brands South African editorials. This shoot draws vast parallels with Nondu’s most recent #WhySettleForOneMonth campaign shoot–she has adopted and developed a “Wes Anderson-esque” aesthetic towards her visual collateral–something which I find extremely intriguing about her work. She mentions:

“I’m inspired by old Chicken Licken advertisements. I like Wes Anderson. The usage of colour within his work kinda inspired me. I decided when I shoot studio work I wanted to have prominent colour work. All of those things have inspired the pockets of work which I choose and me wanting to make people feel some type of way when seeing my work.”

Manor Cover photographed by Nondumiso Shange featuring Zoe Modiga

Tinx Eboka photographed by Nondumiso Shange

The recent personal project which she undertook, ‘Why Settle For One Month’, represented how Nondumiso’s work martyrs for the upcoming generation of women photographers, visual artists and film directors. Inspired by a merge of her love of K-pop as well as a celebration of femme creatives who have impacted and influenced her journey thus far, Nondumiso further explains:

“I believe that the creative industry in South Africa is very fantastic but I still believe that it is very male-dominated. So I decided, let me do something by myself, out of my own pocket, which highlights and showcases these creative women I have met along my way who have been very kind to me and very inspiring as well. ”

Nondumiso’s work is ushering a new generation of creativity in. One which is characterised by a poignant woman’s creative strength within a male-dominated industry. Upon many other creative endeavours which Nondumiso has and will be undertaking–one is a 2-month Art residency with a Japanese University for a prestigious programme which she was selected for. The scope of her successful application for this residency considers the final season tragedy on popular Japanese television show, Terrace House, which was the suicide of one of the members of the show due to xenophobic cyberbullying attacks which stemmed from their mixed Indonesian & Japanese heritage. Nondu’s work aims to further explore these systemic xenophobic cultural links–an intelligent approach which is bound to yield interesting results.

Shifting to present-day Nondumiso and her stance is as clear as ever. Exploring filmmaking and the world of directing movies is next. Closing off our endearing conversation, I ask her “You really wanna direct movies?” to which she quickly corrects me: “I will direct movies”.

Written by Odwa Zamane

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Major League launches amapiano soundtrack, “The 3 Step Ritual”

Oct 18, 2024 | New Release, Music

Balcony Mix Africa, Atmos Blaq, and Major League DJz proudly announce the release of “The 3 Step Ritual”, a soundtrack to a new genre emerging from South Africa: 3 Step. The anticipated EP promises to introduce fans to a fresh and unique sound, blending South Africa’s rich musical diversity with dance beats.

Major League Djz is also proud to announce a double dose of excitement with the simultaneous release of their eagerly-awaited single, ‘Free’, a powerhouse collaboration featuring Grammy-winning producer Calvin Harris and platinum-selling singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding.

Balcony Mix Africa, globally recognized as one of the largest and most influential Amapiano events, has taken a step forward with The 3 Step Ritual. The brand, which began as a virtual musical experience, is known for introducing fans to the biggest and most exclusive dance tracks across Africa. Now, they have expanded their vision, collaborating with pioneers of African dance music, and are proud to debut 3 Step, a house sub-genre featuring dynamic vocal expressions in various South African languages.

Listen to “The 3 Step Ritual” here

Press release courtesy of Sheila Afari 

Eric Hilton drops a standalone new single entitled “Little Odessa”

Oct 18, 2024 | New Release, Music

Downtempo music producer and co-founder of Thievery Corporation, Eric Hilton drops a standalone new single entitled “Little Odessa”. Featuring The Infinite Daisy Chains‘ Kristina Westernik-Dandridge, “Little Odessa” is Hilton at his most propulsive, while retaining the ambience of downtempo elegance that pervades his work.

Listen to “Little Odessa” here

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

Confections x Collections is here for it’s third iteration of salon-style slow fashion at Mount Nelson

Oct 17, 2024 | Lifestyle, Fashion

For its third iteration, Confections x Collections (CxC) will be hosted at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, coinciding with the hotel’s 125th anniversary and curated by independent fashion and sustainability publication Twyg.

Taking place from 5 – 9 November 2024, this fashion event spotlights the continent’s most accomplished slow fashion designers and allows viewers to experience the location in a new light, with the garments on display in salon-style across the Mount Nelson’s lounge, terrace and gardens. 

Providing a unique platform for diverse, authentic African perspectives and sartorial storytelling, CxC offers a rare opportunity to engage deeply with the designers’ works in a hotel renowned for hosting iconic fashion figures. “With the growing global interest in young African talent, I am excited to bring together South Africa’s new wave of designers with two of our West African counterparts. At its core, CxC is underpinned by excellence in sustainable design and a diversity of fashion storytelling, and we aim to honour and celebrate these enduring qualities, once again, this November,” says Jackie May, founder and editor of Twyg.

2022 Mount Nelson CXC, Thebe Magugu collection photographed by Mikayla McClean

2023 Mount Nelson CXC, Sindiso Khumalo collection photographed by Candice Bodington and Mikayla McClean

This year’s line-up includes two South African designers: LVMH Prize winner and 2023 Amiri Prize winner Lukhanyo Mdingi, who blends artisanal craft with modernity; and Johannesburg-based designer RICH MNISI, known for his bold expression of Tsonga culture and craftsmanship. Joining them are Nigerian-based designers Bubu Ogisi of IAMISIGO, known as a ‘fibre artist’ for wearable art that brings ancient African textile techniques to the fore, and 2023 International Woolmark Prize winner, Adeju Thompson of Lagos Space Programme, who explores the past and future through sartorial expressions of their Yoruba culture.

Previous editions of CxC have included internationally renowned designers Thebe Magugu and Sindiso Khumalo (both LVMH award winners) and cult favourite Laduma Ngxokolo of MAXHOSA AFRICA in the line-ups.

Among the CxC alumni is South African designer and LVMH Prize winner Sindiso Khumalo who has designed a Cape Town-inspired tea set for Mount Nelson. This joyful, optimistic, and bold tea set forms part of the hotel’s retail range, which will soon be available to purchase directly from its boutique.

Celebrating 125 years of Mount Nelson, the fifth and final evening of this year’s CxC edition will see a group show that brings together previous and current CxC designers. These participating designers include the aforementioned as well as VIVIERS Studio, CHULAAP, Wanda Lephoto, MANTSHO by Palesa Mokubung, Sindiso Khumalo, MmusoMaxwell, and MAXHOSA AFRICA.

Key Dates:

 5th November 2024 – RICH MNISI

 6th November 2024 – Adeju Thompson of Lagos Space Programme

 7th November 2024 – Bubu Ogisi of IAMISIGO

8th November 2024 – Lukhanyo Mdingi 

9th November 2024 – RICH MNISI, Lagos Space Programme, IAMISIGO, Lukhanyo Mdingi, VIVIERS Studio, CHULAAP, Wanda Lephoto, MANTSHO by Palesa Mokubung, Sindiso Khumalo, MmusoMaxwell, and MAXHOSA AFRICA (invite only).

Book for Confections x Collections here

 

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Loewe Foundation Craft Prize Submissions Open

Oct 16, 2024 | Creatives, Art

The LOEWE FOUNDATION launches the eighth edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, an international award celebrating excellence in craftsmanship.

Submissions for the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2025 are now open and will be accepted until 30 October 2024. Potential candidates are invited to submit their work and a prestigious award will be presented at the Thyssen Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid in March 2025. The Prize for the winning entry is 50 000 euros. The shortlisted and winning works will feature in the exhibition and accompanying catalogue in Madrid.

The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize was launched in 2016 to showcase and celebrate excellence, artistic merit and newness in modern craft. It seeks to acknowledge and support international artists who demonstrate an exceptional ability to create objects of superior aesthetic value.

Anyone over 18 years of age, working in a craft-based profession is encouraged to apply. The winner will receive 50 000 euros and the two special mentions will each receive 5 000 euros. The award, which was envisioned by LOEWE creative director Jonathan Anderson, aims to acknowledge the importance of craft in today’s culture and to recognise working artists whose talent, vision and will to innovate set a standard for the future. The Prize was created as a tribute to LOEWE’s beginnings as a collective craft workshop in 1846.

Images courtesy of LOEWE FOUNDATION

Jonathan Anderson states: ‘Craft is always going to be modern. It is about creating objects that have a formula of their own and speak their own language, creating a  dialogue that didn’t exist before. It is about newness as much as it is about tradition.’

The 2024 edition of the Prize received over 3 900 submissions from 124 countries and regions across the globe. An expert panel composed of artists, essayists and curators will consider all submitted works in order to select a shortlist of up to 30 submissions for the 2025 prize. New additions to the expert panel include Michelle Fisher, Curator of  Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston; Kevin Grey, metal artist and finalist of the 2024 Craft Prize; Ibrahim Mahama, mixed media  artist, and Aya Oki glass artist and finalist of the 2024 Craft Prize. The panel’s choice will be based on a number of key criteria: originality, clear artistic vision and merit, precise execution, material excellence, innovative value and a distinct authorial mark.

The shortlisted works will be exhibited at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid. The prize’s Jury will select the winning piece from the exhibition and the winner of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2025 will be announced in a ceremony at the museum in March 2025. 

Learn more and submit your work for LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize here

Press release courtesy of Fola PR

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za