Neo Matloga wins tenth ABN AMRO Art Award

The jury of the ABN AMRO Art Award is honoured to grant this tenth edition of the prize to Neo Matloga. With the choice of Matloga (South Africa, 1993), the jury shows its esteem for an artist who, within an appealing and idiosyncratic signature style, subtly links household scenes from his home country with the difficult socio-political background against which they take place. With ink, charcoal, and photographs, Matloga creates 'collage paintings' that provide a glimpse of the day-to-day household cosiness of his youth. Upbeat stories full of affection and a sense of security, inhabited only by people of colour. With these, following the lead of artists like Kerry James Marshall, he created a world in which he felt at home – and one that he did not find represented in art.

Lively and urgent

The jury is impressed by the way in which Matloga, while avoiding easy clear-cut messages and placing a strong emphasis on relationships among people, taps into deeper social and political levels. As such, his work can be regarded as an invitation to look at a Black community, while our gaze is cast back by eyes that seem to miss nothing. Who is looking at whom here? One could imagine these at times unsettling figures as spirit-like entities that remind us of what we don't see: the problems that South Africa continues to face. Among the gleeful scenes, we also sense questions being raised about apartheid, racism and Black identity. Giving rise to such associations, the work remains lively and urgent in the jury's view.

Stimulus for talent

Danila Cahen, curator of the ABN AMRO Art Collection, explains the jury’s considerations. “The ABN AMRO Art Award is intended as a stimulus for talent in the Netherlands. The quality and singularity of the work are principal criteria for selection. Neo Matloga is recognised by the jury for his compositional acuity and his vibrant, powerful and spirited work. It is both monumental and intimate and in a singular manner deals with the dilemmas of our age. The jury is eager to follow Neo Matloga’s development, which we regard as promising.” Read the full jury report here.

Photo from left to right: Annabelle Birnie (dir. Hermitage Amsterdam), Natasja Kensmill (beeldend kunstenaar en jurylid), Danila Cahen (curator ABN AMRO-collectie en jurylid), Neo Matloga (beeldend kunstenaar en winnaar KP), Thembi Isaacs (partner Matloga)

For further information on the history of the ABN AMRO Art Award and the award ceremony for Matloga see the short film featuring Annabelle Birnie, director of Hermitage Amsterdam, Danila Cahen, curator of the ABN AMRO Art Collection and Art Award jury member, Natasja Kensmill, visual artist and Art Award jury member, and winner Neo Matloga.

Background information

Art Award Jury

The jury of this year’s tenth edition of the ABN AMRO Art Award consisted of five members: Danila Cahen, curator of ABN AMRO Art Collection, Stijn Huijts, artistic director of Bonnefanten Maastricht, Xander Karskens, director of De Ateliers, Natasja Kensmil, visual artist, and Marianne Verhaar-Strijbos, director of Private Wealth Management at ABN AMRO MeesPierson.

About Neo Matloga

Neo Matloga (Mamaila, South Africa, 1993) lives and works in Mamaila and Amsterdam. He studied visual arts at the university of Johannesburg and completed a two-year residency programme at De Atelier in Amsterdam from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, Matloga won the Koninklijke Prijs voor Schilderkunst. In 2019, Matloga was also nominated for the Volkskrant Beeldende Kunst Prijs. He held solo exhibitions at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden (2019) and at Stevenson Johannesburg (2020). His work was part of group exhibitions including those of CBK Zuidoost, Amsterdam (2020), Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town (2019), Foundation AVL Mundo, Rotterdam (2019), Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort (2018) and South African Constitutional Court, Johannesburg (2016).

About ABN AMRO Art Award

This year marks the tenth edition of the ABN AMRO Art Award. It is an incentive prize for talent, which the bank awards to artists to encourage artists in their development. Art critic Edo Dijksterhuis (newspaper Het Parool) called ABN AMRO Art Award “one of the bigger art prizes in the Netherlands.” The winner receives a monetary award of 10,000 euros and is given the chance to exhibit at Hermitage Amsterdam, with a special publication, designed by Irma Boom, to mark the event. Work by the winning artist is also purchased for the ABN AMRO Art Collection.

The award’s initial focus was on artists from abroad who were living or working in the Netherlands. Within this context it was granted to Fahrettin Örenli in 2004, Eylem Aladogan in 2005, Ryan Gander in 2006 and Melissa Gordon in 2007. The ABN AMRO Art Award continued in 2015 as an incentive prize for Dutch and foreign artists living in the Netherlands. In that year it was granted toFahrettin Örenli (2004), Eylem Aladogan (2005), Ryan Gander (2006) and Melissa Gordon (2007). The ABN AMRO Art Award continued in 2015 as an incentive prize for Dutch and foreign artists living in the Netherlands. In that year it was granted toMelvin Moti, in 2016 to Marijn van Kreij, in 2017 to Saskia Noor van Imhoff and in 2018 to Helen Verhoeven, Evelyn Taocheng Wang (2019). For the current edition the jury has chosen NeoMatloga.

The Art Award is in line with ABN AMRO’s sponsorship policy, which aims to encourage and celebrate excellence in the domains of sport, art & culture and community service. The bank’s sponsorship is in support of people who focus all their energy on developing their talents and who inspire others with their drive and passion. The exceptional talents who have won the Art Award to date are prime examples. With the Art Award, the bank gives artists support in their development and a platform to reach a wide audience. For more information about the Art Prize (in Dutch only) click here.