Famakan Magassa becomes the second winner of the NSAAP, which focuses on contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora. For his work, Magassa receives R500 000 and the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the Norval Foundation.
Image courtesy of Art Africa Magazine
326 artists were nominated for the NSAAP 2023 by a group of 35 independent arts experts, including curators and scholars who have intimate relationships with artists in their local communities. A Judging Panel of five international experts in the arts selected 30 finalists from the nominees after reviewing the internet submissions. The Judging Panel met at the Norval Foundation to inspect the works in person. Then, they reviewed and assessed the finalists to determine the Grand Prize Winner, whose identity was revealed on January 25, 2023, at a private ceremony.
Famakan Magassa (b. 1997, Mali) won for his work La Ballade Noctambule, an acrylic on canvas in which he uses morbid humour to discuss difficult themes such as addiction, desperation and conflict.
The Malian painter received his BFA in 2018 from Conservatoire Arts et Metiers Multimedia Balla Fasséke Kouyaté in Bamako, Mali. Growing up in Mali, Magassa bore witness to the clash of modern cultural developments and the weight of traditions. He seeks a balance between the desire for order and the reality of a society steeped in contradictions. In his paintings, Magassa navigates between social satire and empathetic portrayals of his subjects, contending with themes ranging from cross-cultural pollination and environmentalism to addiction and loneliness.
Image courtesy of Albertz Benda
La Ballade Noctambule debates morality, vice, power, and desire, frequently with a distinctive humor that is ingrained in both the visual aesthetic and the general perspective of his work. In La Ballade Noctambule, for example, a drunk and deflated figure is rolled away in a wheelbarrow. The figure pushing the wheelbarrow is equally dishevelled and wears only one shoe – a common symbol in the artist’s work, used to signal undesirability.
“It’s an honour and source of pride for me and for the Malian people. I would like to say thank you to Ronan Grossiat as it is thanks to him that I became aware of the Prize.”, said Magassa, who is currently represented by the New York gallery Albertz Benda.
Artist Achievements:
The artist exhibited for the first time in 2019 with several institutional shows, including presentations at L’Institute Français du Mali and La Fondation La Maison de l’Artiste in Assinie, Côte d’Ivoire. In 2020, he was included in ‘L’exposition collective Jeunes Talents’ at the residence of the Ambassador to the European Union, Mali and was one of the 2020 Laureates of the Cité Internationale des Arts Residency in Paris, France. His work has been featured in L’Oeuil and ArtsMagazine. He is currently exhibiting at Les Magasins Géneraux in Paris.
About The Prize:
The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize aims to benefit contemporary artists working in Africa or of the African diaspora by increasing their international exposure. A collaboration between The Sovereign Art Foundation and Norval Foundation, the Prize will celebrate the practice of some of the most significant contemporary artists working today.
