The visual arts sector in South Africa has flourished over the past 30 years, emerging as a vibrant, globally connected and economically significant industry. With celebrated contributions from icons like Mam Esther Mahlangu, trailblazers such as William Kentridge and a dynamic new generation of practitioners including Zanele Muholi and Gabi Ngcobo, South Africa has been identified as a central heartbeat for the growing African contemporary art scene. In 2010, the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture (DSAC) conducted a mapping and analysis of the visual arts ecosystem. In 2023, it commissioned Andani.Africa to revisit and assess those findings, offering a precise and comprehensive portrayal of the sector's current state - placing greater emphasis on its artistic, social and economic contributions.
The study encompasses forms of visual art including painting and drawing, sculpting, photography, performance and live art, video art, new media, graphic and digital art and cartooning. These disciplines are further supported by a broader ecosystem of activities such as art publishing, curation, gallery operations and consultancy, among others. For this extensive study to come to fruition, over 720 artists, businesses, and organizations within the visual arts sector were surveyed through the National Visual Art Survey. Additionally, analyses were conducted on museums, education, funding, policy, and the provincial landscape, aiming to update the challenges and opportunities identified in 2010 and to propose actionable recommendations for advancing the sector as a whole.
Lets delve into significant insights from the report:
The visual arts sector has a turnover of ZAR2.6b and a contribution to the South African GVA for ZAR1.4b
Since 2010, the visual arts sector's turnover has grown substantially, from ZAR1.8 billion to ZAR2.6 billion (46,6% increase), while its contribution to South Africa's GVA decreased from ZAR1.5 billion to ZAR1.4 billion. The visual arts were found to be significantly informed by market forces, with the economy being dominated by the sale of small numbers of once-off work to a very small niche buyer base, complemented by public exhibitions (museums or biennales) of these objects to a broader public. At a commercial level there has been significant growth in the sector with increased value in African artists’ work through sales, increased exposure and the establishment of more galleries, however the research found that the non-commercial sector has seen a considerable decline.
The market is vibrant, innovative and presents targeted intervention, especially in addressing its precariousness
Survey data indicates that visual practitioners have become younger, are predominantly black and more females have emerged on the scene. They are also highly educated and their digital-savvy approaches to garnering visibility and interest have positively impacted their connections, built networks and increased sales. Over the past 15 years, the sectors’ already independent and self-sufficient value chain has continued to drive its internationally acclaimed creative and intellectual capacities as practitioners and emerging artists operate in multi-faceted ways. Whilst the current scene is certainly marked by innovation and vibrancy, inconsistent income, low funding channels and inadequate support (policy, government) makes for a precarious sector. Stringent resale policies, structured business support, education and development strategies have the potential to enable growth and stability in the sector.
To foster sustainable growth in the sector, enhanced support will be vital
Since 2010, research has shown that despite efforts to provide intervention and support across both the private and public sectors, the desired impact has been lacking and the growth of the sector has happened in spite of governmental support. For example, ArtBankSA's goal of increasing the awareness of South African art and making it more accessible to buyers will require a more robust strategy that takes return on investment into account. Even though visual art is offered at Basic Education levels (Grade 10-12), with only 12.12% of high schools providing arts subjects to matric and just 4.5% of learners from Government schools matriculating with an arts subject, clear pathways to career opportunities in the field need to be more strongly emphasized and effectively communicated. When it comes to funding, the visual arts sector is not fully leveraging the potential of existing funding regimes, whether from DSAC or other entities. To address this, efforts must focus on diversifying funding sources, improving application success rates and ensuring the sector benefits more effectively from publicly driven incentives and programmes.
Significant factors to address
It is important to acknowledge that the sector faces additional complex challenges shaped by the broader South African context, many of which extend beyond DSAC's direct influence. Despite this, stakeholders are urged to come together, foster collaboration, and develop pragmatic, sustainable solutions to address these issues. Amongst others, here are some pivotal recommendations put forward by Andani.Africa for DSAC and other stakeholders to consider:
- DSAC to undertake a full review of actions and activities undertaken to support international promotion of the visual arts, including those undertaken by other entities such as the Department of Trade and Industry.
- DSAC to conduct a strategy review of ArtBankSA and realign their current agenda that has the potential to optimise resource allocation for leasing/hiring/commissioning artworks to private and public clients.
- Contracting research and review support on an ongoing basis will result in the provision of and timely relevant industry insights that foster continued monitoring and evaluation within the DSAC and the sector at large.
- Strengthening Visual Arts Participation in Existing Funding and Incentive Regime.
- Enhancing coherence and efficiency within the visual arts funding ecosystem, spanning across policy development, educational and training infrastructure, and access to opportunities.
We would like to thank the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for commissioning Andani.Africa to undertake this critical review and to all contributors for participating in the study at large. For shorter insights into the report, stay tuned to our social media pages: @andani.africa on Instagram and X and Andani.Africa on Facebook and LinkedIn.
