The Tomorrows/ Today Prize, South Africa’s most prestigious visual art accolade, for emergent and under-represented artists, has been awarded to Mafikeng-born multidisciplinary artist Boemo Diale at this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair. The prize of R80 000 acknowledges a burgeoning art career, and is awarded to an artist whose body of work is captivating in the present, and will likely be so in future.
Twenty-three year old Diale, who hails from Parkhurst, Johannesburg is one of the youngest amongst the participating artists at this year’s Fair. Her work explores themes such as queer identity and spirituality while centering their iconography around the binomial of the body and the utilitarian pot or vessel, to explore the wild in terms of introspection and healing.
Diale’s work was selected by an international jury led by Tomorrows/ Today Italian curator, Dr Mariella Franzoni based between Spain and South Africa, Zeitz MOCAA Curator Tandazani Dhlakama and Heba El Kayal, an independent curator and researcher based between Cairo and London.
According to Franzoni the Tomorrows/ Today curated section has grown exponentially and was much bigger at this year’s Fair. Tomorrows/ Today provides a platform for emerging and underrepresented artists and acts as a forecast of future relevant practices and ideas. Titled Inhabiting the Wild, the 2024 edition of Tomorrows/ Today explored and reimagined the concept of wildness through artistic imagination. Says Franzoni, “I understand ‘unbounding’ to be a way of getting rid of the dualities that inform our way of thinking. For me, ‘wildness’ is the most unbound and unconstrained way we can live, and so is a way of thinking that is broad enough for different artists to respond to – how do we overcome the dualities of nature/civilization, or masculine/feminine?”
Tomorrows/ Today 2024 featured artists from 12 different galleries and projects from all over the world, including South Africa, Europe, and the US.
Close to 30 000 people visited the 11th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2024.
Investec Cape Town Art Fair will take place from 21 to 23 February 2025.
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Artist Boemo Diale, resident of Parkhurst, represented by Kalashnikovv Gallery was the winner of Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2024 Tomorrows/ Today section.
Stepping into the spotlight at the Fair was Boemo Diale, a multidisciplinary artist hailing from Mafikeng. Diale was honored with the prestigious Tomorrows/Today Prize, recognised as one of South Africa’s most esteemed visual art accolades for emerging and under-represented artists. This distinguished prize, totaling R80,000, celebrates the promising trajectory of Diale’s artistic journey. It acknowledges not only the captivating nature of Diale’s current body of work but also its potential to resonate profoundly in the future.
In total the fair showcased 115 galleries from 24 countries, showcasing 500 artists from over 50 countries all over the world, attracting 30,000 visitors, including 10,000 VIPs, and reaffirming Investec Cape Town Art Fair’s pivotal role as a platform for exchange and discovery.
Next year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair will take place from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 February 2025. For more information visit www.investeccapetownartfair.co.za.
Gallerist Aïcha Gorgi, from A.Gorgi Gallery (Tunis, Tunisia), with Investec Cape Town Art Fair director Laura Vincenit and artist Mohamed Amine Hamouda, winner of the RDC Art Collection Award for 2024.
The RDC Property Group, offers the RDC Art Collection Award to the gallery who aligns with the Group’s values and goals and in recognition of the importance of art in our shared spaces and the need to design and develop places suitable for art resonating with RDC that “Art manifests our thoughts and aspirations, and it fills our spaces with meaning.”
“The piece perfectly embodies our core values of integrity, sustainability, and empathy. This woven masterpiece, created by the celebrated Mohamed Amine Hamouda, will take center stage in our growing art collection. More than just aesthetics, Hamouda’s art weaves a powerful narrative. He transforms waste from the unique Gabès oasis – palm fronds, artisanal discards, even “undesirable” plants – into stunning pieces that advocate for resourcefulness and environmental protection.” – RDC Property group
Lukhanyo Mdingi attended Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2024 and showcased collaboration range with Yawa.
Visitors from Mozambique, Sininho Paco and Teémar Kidane attended Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2024.
Artists, Ben Orkin (Cape Town), Masego Morgan (Cape Town) and Natalie Paneng from Johannesburg and exhibitor in the Tomorrows/ Today section of Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2024.
Left to right: In attendance at Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Papama Mtwisha (Johannesburg) with Simphiwe and Tanya Pato (West Beach).