Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA), the RMA Young Artists’ Project Exhibition (YAP) is BACK …and will take place at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) Gallery in Glenwood, Durban from 22 August – 21 September 2025.  

Initiated in 2002, by then KZNSA curator Storm Janse van Rensburg, The Young Artists’ Project ‘came out of a desire to create some kind of energy around young artists in the city, to get an ecosystem going around young artists, along with the writing workshop with young writers’.  The project was initiated as an annual project designed to stimulate a ‘next generation’ of artists, by creating an experimental component to the NSA Gallery exhibitions programme, where invited young artists annually work closely with a curator to produce their first solo.  The YAP was revived in 2020 and, thanks to the financial support from Rand Mutual Assurance, is once again on the Gallery’s calendar for 2025.

While Durban’s art-loving public will have an opportunity to share in the work of this year’s talented intake during the exhibition period, the project primarily provides a platform for the support of young artists in conceptualising and producing new work. It facilitates mentorship and knowledge exchange between established and emerging artists, encourages critical thinking, peer to peer feedback, and artistic risk-taking, and guides artists in preparing professional material.

This year’s Young Artists’ Project edition includes two (2) early career artists and four (4) aspirant writers, all of whom will receive support to realise their inaugural exhibitions and mentorship to develop their skills, contributing to the broader cultural discourse and leading to increased sales and visibility, significantly enhancing their careers.

The exhibitions, titled Seeking by N’lamwai Chithambo and Disgust, Fear and Hell by Zama Cebsile Mwandla, will officially open on Friday 22 August. The artists will host Walkabouts on Saturday 23 August from 10:00 to 12:00, which are free, and open to the  public. In addition, there will be opportunities for school and university groups to visit the gallery and meet with the featured artists, on a ‘By Appointment’ basis.

ARTISTS – N’lamwai Luntha Chithambo and Zama Mwandla

WRITERS – Sneziwe Mahlalela, Ladia Kasimu, Mbusi Nhlakanipho Mzolo, Thobekile Nontando Kweyama