The Standard Bank Art Lab unveils a new visual arts exhibition showcasing four decades of South African visual arts history while celebrating 40 years of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award (SBYA) in the visual arts.
TitledSBYA Visual Art 1984 – Now, the exhibition will hang from 14 October until 31 January 2026 at the bank’s newest visual arts space situated at Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton.
The landmark exhibition tracks the dynamics of transformative change undergone by South Africa through the work of SBYA recipients for Visual Arts between 1984 and now (2025). It also invites art lovers to not only reflect on the rich socio-political history and the rich culture it produced but encourages them to celebrate 40 years of artistic excellence through the 40 artworks put together by 40 SBYA’s for Visual Arts from 1984 to 2025.
Compiled by Dr Same Mdluli, Curator and Manager of the Standard Bank Art Gallery and Art Lab, the exhibition entails work from the Standard Bank Corporate Collection, SABC Art Collection, Rupert Museum, Wits Arts Museum and the Johannesburg Art Gallery, unveiling rarely seen masterpieces of contemporary South African art.
Mdluli says the SBYA Visual Art 1984- Now showcase not only celebrates the works and artists behind them but also reinforces Standard Bank’s heritage of empowering visionary artistic talents in South Africa and across the continent.
This exhibition marks a significant milestone for the bank as we forge ahead with our commitment to championing the arts. SBYA Visual Art 1984- Now is a uniquely rich and immersive celebration of the 40th anniversary of the award’s history, featuring 40 artists represented in the show through a single work, each selected from 40 pieces drawn from the art collections of five important institutions in South African art. In this way, the exhibition reflects both the artistic and institutional dynamics that shape our art historical reality,” says Dr. Mdluli.
The tumultuous age of protest and the state of emergency of the 1980s, the violence and terror of the early 1990s and the hope borne of the breakthrough that followed it are all on visceral view at the showing.
The rich diversity of the artworks on display signposts epochal shifts and socio-political transformations that have shaped modern and contemporary histories. By gathering these myriad artistic perspectives by SBYA alumni, the exhibition also provides a unique window into key moments in the development of South African art.
These range from breakthroughs in photography and installation as represented in the work of 2016 SBYA recipient, Mohau Modisakeng and Mary Sibande, who was awarded in 2013; along with drawing-based work of William Kentridge who received the award in 1987, and Dianne Victor who was awarded in 1988.
This exhibition also affords us an opportunity to present these works in a way that enriches our ongoing conversations about who we are, who we have been, and who we are becoming as a culture and society. As South Africa also gears up to host the G20 and B20, we are also presented with an opportunity to spotlight the arts as a key contributor to economic growth and the responsibility among private and public stakeholders to ensure the industry is sustained and profitable,” adds Dr Mdluli.
The collaboration of the Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection along with the SABC collection’s straddles the public – private dichotomy uniquely because these works are partially accessible to the public enthusiasts of the art.
The Rupert Museum and Wits Art Museum are also collections with a dedicated mission of educational benefit to the greater society, while the Johannesburg Art Gallery, as a public art collection, is the third type of collection represented in the exhibition, helping to broaden how we view the way art and heritage is collected, preserved and made available to the public.
In keeping with The Standard Bank Art Lab’s growing role as a place for innovation, exploration, reflection, dialogue and creativity, the exhibition will include a programme featuring Talks by SBYA alumni, activations for school children to engage with the artworks, and the history they embody, along with fun holiday activations for the whole family over the summer season.
This exhibition underscores our commitment to supporting and enabling the arts not only as a driver of economic transformation, but as a key component of building a shared cultural heritage. It allows us to hold up these great artists as an example of the benefit of affirming the creative vision of the youth through the award.”- Yolisa Koza, Head of Brand Experience, Standard Bank Group adds
