Launching The BMW Art Generation in South Africa. Taking place from 2-3 September 2023, The BMW Art Generation is a weekend event of immersive contemporary African culture.

Munich/Johannesburg. An initiative by FNB Art Joburg and BMW Group South Africa, the BMW Young Collectors Co. was established in 2020 to develop a new generation of art collectors. Opening the BMW Young Collectors Co. programme to the public, The BMW Art Generation brings celebrated, established, and young artists, curators, and academics, from across the world together with collectors to shape, celebrate and protect the future of contemporary African art. Hosted at William Kentridge’s Centre for the Less Good Idea, The BMW Art Generation will give the public access to studios, performance art, live music and a boutique lifestyle market with stalls dedicated to demonstrating the very best in design and food and wine experiences.

Looking to bring leading artists from Africa and the diaspora to explore contemporary African art within the realm of black intellectual tradition, the weekend presents multiple opportunities to create a thought experiment that inserts an African narrative where art meets history and place. Foregrounding an ethos that fosters innovation, community and an Africa that will continue to set standards for the global contemporary art ecosystem, The BMW Art Generation prioritises access through the transference of knowledge, from one generation to another.

“Johannesburg is home to FNB Art Joburg, the longest running contemporary art fair on the African continent. Feeding off the city’s grit, desperation, tenacity and irreverent energy, artists, curators, and cultural policy makers living in or visiting Johannesburg understand its position and growing potential to be the continent’s cultural capital,” says Mandla Sibeko, Managing Director of FNB Art Joburg. “Hosted in central Johannesburg, where culture thrives and informs community’s daily lives, The BMW Art Generation also seeks to reignite engagement and investment dedicated to stimulating and sustaining the city as a natural incubator for contemporary art.”

The BMW Art Generation will welcome the likes of American collector and radiologist, Dr. Joy Simmons; Founder and Director of the Lagos Photo Festival and the African Artists' Foundation (AAF), Azu Nwagbogu; Princeton-based Nigerian artist and historian, Chika Okeke-Agulu; Swiss curator and director at the Serpentine Galleries, Hans Ulrich Obrist and South African artist William Kentridge. A pilgrimage for some and a homecoming for others, the BMW Art Generation is an opportunity for long overdue connections.

Marcelle Duncan, Head of Brand of BMW Group South Africa says, “For over 50 years, the BMW Group have created valuable partnerships within the arts and culture landscape and engaged in over 100 cultural collaborations worldwide. BMW Group South Africa remains committed to showing the importance of corporate cultural responsibility through consistent and intentional investment in contemporary art and design. Our partnership with FNB Art Joburg is a proud relationship, having created great opportunities before and intending to open even more doors now.”

BMW Young Collectors’ Co.
An initiative by FNB Art Joburg and BMW Group South Africa, the BMW Young Collectors Co. was established in 2020 to develop a new generation of art collectors that will collect and buy African art on African soil. By cultivating a fresh perspective on art patronage, the initiative has the power to create a new generation of collectors that will ensure the African art economy continues to grow for generations to come. The BMW Young Collectors’ Co. aims to fill an education and experience void in the field of art collecting, where - in South Africa - the majority of collectors are older than 50 years of age and lack diversity. The initiative affords future generations of collectors access to first-hand experiences with the country’s top artists, galleries and art patrons. This essential programming ensures the continent is growing its Africa art economy for generations to come.

FNB Art Joburg
Based in Johannesburg, FNB Art Joburg is the leading and longest running contemporary African art fair on the continent. FNB Art Joburg plays an instrumental role in developing and sustaining a commercial industry that centres around African and diasporic practitioners. A platform where curatorial and commercial interventions meet, the fair is divided into six specialised sections: gallery HUB, gallery LAB, MAX, ETC, AUX, and ORG sections.

View the full programme: Here is what to expect - A story by FNB Art Joburg

To visit The BMW Art Generation please note that entrance tickets are required:

Friday, September 1, 2023: 6pm (VIP Opening, by invitation only)
Saturday, September 2, 2023: 10am to 6pm (Public Day 1)
Sunday, September 3, 2023; 10am to 6pm (Public Day 2)

Location
The Centre for the Less Good Idea
Arts On Main
264 Fox St & Berea Rd
Maboneng, Johannesburg, South Africa  

To visit FNB Art Joburg please note that entrance tickets are required:

Thursday, September 7, 2023:  6pm to 9pm (VIP Opening, by invitation only)
Friday, September 8, 2023: 11am to 8pm
Saturday, September 9, 2023: 11am to 7pm
Sunday, September 10, 2023: 11am to 5pm

Location
Sandton Convention Centre
Exhibition 2
161 Maude Street
Sandown, Sandton,
Johannesburg, 2196, South Africa