The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2025 has shortlisted our exclusively represented artist Yannick Ackah, recognizing his significant contributions to contemporary African art
Launched in 2021, this highly regarded prize celebrates contemporary artists from Africa and the African diaspora, granting them international recognition. In collaboration with the Sovereign Art Foundation and the Norval Foundation, it also supports the Norval Foundation’s Learning Centre. The art prize, awarded to one of the 29 nominated artists, is decided by a panel of expert judges, including Thato Mogotsi – Curator of Contemporary Art at Zeitz MOCAA, Raphael Chikukwa - Executive Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Tim Marlow - Chief Executive and Director of the Design Museum, UK, and Same Mdluli - artist, art historian, curator, and writer.
The main prize is endowed with US$35,000, along with a solo exhibition at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town. Additionally, the artist with the most public support will be awarded the Public Vote Prize, which can be voted for online on the website of the 'Norval Sovereign African Art Prize' .
The finalists' exhibition will take place from February 4 to April 20, 2025, at the Norval Foundation. The winner will be announced on February 18, 2025, during the Norval Foundation's Investec Cape Town Art Fair.
Yannick Ackah (born 1992 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire) is considered one of the leading voices in contemporary art. His works combine African cultural traditions with influences from Western art history, offering insights into an artistic vision that is both distinctive and multifaceted.
The work selected for the nomination is "La Fête Rose" by Yannick Ackah. In this piece, the artist employs an expressive painting style characterized by dynamic brushstrokes and a multi-layered texture. The fragmented figures and abstract forms seem to move within the pictorial space, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. The work demonstrates Ackah's exceptional sense of color and composition, powerfully conveying a feeling of vibrancy and movement.
Ackah's works are characterized by the use of diverse materials – including paper, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as fabrics – which he processes in a collage-like manner to create distinctive surface structures. Yannick Ackah playfully combines everyday elements of popular culture with traditional motifs, spanning a bridge from his African origins, through Picasso's appropriation of African art, the late work of Henri Matisse, to Jean-Michel Basquiat and the graffiti art of 1980s New York.
Yannick Ackah graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) in 2020. Since then, he has exhibited internationally, and his works are represented in renowned public and private collections in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, USA, Japan, China, and South Korea. In 2021, his works were selected for an exhibition at the Institut Français in Hamburg. In 2022, he participated in the exhibition "Aufatmen" at the Barlach Halle K, supported by the Cultural Authority of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. In 2024, he took part in the "Persona" exhibition, curated by renowned art collector Harald Falckenberg, as well as the "Mouvement" exhibition, which took place in collaboration with the French Consulate in Hamburg.
From March 29 to June 14, 2025, new works by Yannick Ackah will be on display in the solo exhibition "Jungle of Encounters" at Galerie Melbye-Konan.
