The Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize Foundation is to establish The DALRO Visual Arts Merit Award, a unique opportunity for young South African artists to accelerate their careers and make their mark in the art world. The DALRO Visual Arts Merit Award offers a comprehensive nine-month residency programme where the winning artist will be provided with a working studio for nine months at Ellis House in Johannesburg from 1 June 2024 to 31 March 2025, a materials stipend, framing budget, and a living stipend. This residency runs concurrently with the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize Residency, offering a rich schedule of crit-sessions, workshops, and exhibitions throughout the year.
The nine month-long journey is followed by the artist’s first solo exhibition to be held at the prestigious DALRO Gallery in Johannesburg in March 2025. This exhibition will showcase the body of work developed over the residency, offering a platform for the artist to share their vision with the world. Beyond the creation of art, the programme introduces artists to industry experts who provide invaluable assistance in navigating the complex processes of the art industry. This includes guidance on business registration, financial management, preparation for the secondary market, and working with galleries.
Young artists aged 21 to 35 are encouraged to submit their applications for the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize and the DALRO Visual Arts Merit Award by visiting www.bnapfoundation.co.za or www.dalro.co.za. To kick off this prestigious collaboration, a group exhibition will be held at the DALRO offices in Johannesburg. The exhibition, titled Motions and Motives, will feature artworks by established and mid-career visual artists based in South Africa. Motives and Motions is aimed at creating an actionable mandate between DALRO as a collective management organisation, and the visual arts community as the creators of works of art.
DALRO’s motives are to collect royalties on behalf of copyright holders and remunerate them for the use of their work. By collaborating with Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize Foundation, DALRO invites established and mid-career visual artists to protect their works under copyright laws and influence emerging artists to do the same.
This exhibition presents a safe space for artists to voice their concerns of career longevity, legacy and a seat at the table where legalities that will affect their careers are being discussed. The collaboration between BNAP Foundation and DALRO marks the beginning of DALRO strengthening its ties to the visual arts community and undertaking the responsibility of protecting all artworks under copyright laws. The Motions & Motives group exhibition will open on the 9th of March and will run until the 9th of April 2024. A public walkabout will be held on the 16th of March 2024.
