THE NEXT WAVE OF ART IS NOT IN THE HEADLINES YET

There’s a unique pulse in the South African art scene at the moment, even in the silence between exhibitions. This won’t show up in press releases or event calendars, but it’s there. Residencies are wrapping up, artists are preparing new bodies of work, and collectives like iQhiya are setting invisible foundations for what’s next. It's not inactivity. It’s incubation. 

Right now, big institutions like Zeitz MOCAA are between headline shows. But in curatorial backrooms, ideas are being shaped that will likely define the end of 2025 and beyond. And that makes this an interesting period to observe. 

Take Lindokuhle Sobekwa, who recently won the 2025 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize for I Carry Her Photo With Me. The work is a raw, haunting visual letter to his late sister. It’s personal, grounded, and technically subtle, yet its global recognition shows where the appetite for South African art is headed. Not big, shiny spectacle. But deeply rooted emotional truth, told through formats that are both accessible and intimate. 

Beyond the gallery space, James Delaney is changing the landscape of Johannesburg itself. His outdoor sculptures placed in public parks don’t just decorate the city. They create reasons for people to stop, and observe. That’s a different kind of exhibition. And it’s already shifting how public art can operate in the South African context.

Meanwhile, artist-run groups like iQhiya are rewriting the terms of visibility. Instead of fighting for institutional validation, they’re building their own infrastructure. They’re curating shows, producing writing, archiving their own presence, and designing opportunities across cities. It may not be the loudest or most conventional approach, but it’s consistent. And that kind of consistency is what shapes long-term shifts in how women and Black artists operate in a fragmented industry.

At the same time, festivals like FNB Art Joburg are beginning to pick up steam again. Scheduled to return this September for its 18th edition, it’s expected to anchor the next wave of public attention. It’s one of the few places where the local market meets continental collectors and where emerging names can be launched into broader view. It might just mark the formal end of this seasonal pause.

What people are gravitating toward now is less about medium and more about meaning. From performance art to photography, textile to light installation, the draw is toward artists who can slow the scroll. Works that ask you to stand still. 

This moment may not be saturated with shows, but it's thick with momentum. It’s a creative field being recharged by quiet. A season where the most relevant work is happening behind closed doors, not under gallery lights. When these projects re-emerge, shaped by time rather than urgency, they’ll carry the kind of resonance that lingers.