2022 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners announced!

Image supplied: The Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners

This year’s winners join the ranks of a stellar collective that have become household names over the last four decades. Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners are cherished as national treasures, and many have gone on to find new audiences on the African continent and achieve international acclaim.

The 2022 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners are:

• Visual Arts – Lady Skollie
• Poetry – Koleka Putuma
• Theatre – Mahlatsi Mokgonyana and Billy Langa (Theatre Duo)
• Dance – Sylvester Thamsanqa (Thami) Majela
• Music – Msaki
• Jazz – Linda Sikhakhane

This group of artists from diverse fields represent a generation of South Africans who have given their all to a career in the arts. They have been in the trenches with their peers, and they have summited some peaks together too. But these seven artists also stand out from the crowd.

Their work has already been recognised for its innovation, its bravery, its beauty, its truth. They have been around the block once or twice; they are not new to the game, although they still have youth on their side.

Award winners will be given the opportunity to direct, perform or exhibit at the 2023 National Arts Festival, with substantial financial support provided through Standard Bank’s sponsorship.

National Arts Festival CEO, Monica Newton, says “The 2022 Standard Bank Artists are a cutting edge and diverse group of creatives that are defining the South African cultural moment. We look forward to their fresh perspectives and original performances at the 2023 National Arts Festival. The awards have made it possible for hundreds of artists to be part of the National Arts Festival over the last 41 years and to take their careers to new heights. We would like to thank our partners Standard Bank for their ongoing commitment to the arts in South Africa.”