Born in Gugulethu, Cape Town, in 1975, Madoda Fani is one of South Africa’s most celebrated contemporary ceramic artists. Inspired by his Xhosa heritage, he creates hand-coiled, burnished, and smoke-fired works that reimagine traditional Southern African ceramic practices through a distinctly contemporary lens.

Madoda discovered his passion for clay while studying at Sivuyile College and later refined his smoke-firing and burnishing techniques under the mentorship of renowned ceramicists Simon Masilo, Nic Sithole, and Jabu Nala. His large-scale sculptural vessels are characterised by organic forms and intricate carved patterns inspired by natural textures, particularly insect exoskeletons.

Over a career spanning more than two decades, Madoda has exhibited extensively in South Africa and internationally, including major solo exhibitions with Southern Guild and participation in the 2024 Indian Ocean Craft Triennial in Australia. 

His work has evolved beyond ceramics to include furniture and bronze sculpture, and he has undertaken artist residencies in Argentina, France, Austria, Mexico, and Australia.

A finalist for the 2022 LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize and winner of numerous awards, including First Prize at the 2016 Ceramics Southern Africa Exhibition, Fani's work is held in prominent public and private collections worldwide, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Mint Museum, the LOEWE Foundation, and Princeton University Art Museum.

Madoda is also our Awards Judge.

Zanoxolo Sylvester Mqeku is an acclaimed South African contemporary ceramic artist and sculptor from the Eastern Cape. He is renowned as the only artist in Africa pioneering the technique of sand-cast ceramics, combining traditional clay practices with modern technologies such as 3D printing and laser cutting.

His sculptural works explore African philosophy, ecology, and imagined future landscapes through textured, organic, and geometric forms. Sylvester gained national recognition after winning the StateoftheART Gallery Award in 2021, which led to his solo exhibition Birth of the Alter Natural, addressing themes of climate change and environmental transformation.

Born in Mount Fletcher in 1987, Sylvester initially studied architectural technology before pursuing ceramics and fine art. He holds qualifications in Ceramic Design and Fine Art from the Tshwane University of Technology and has participated in prestigious initiatives including the inaugural Black Rock Senegal residency in Dakar.

Amogelang Maepa (b. 1995) is a South African ceramic artist and visual storyteller from Mabopane, Gauteng. She studied Ceramics and Printmaking at the Tshwane University of Technology, graduating with a National Diploma in 2017.

Since emerging as a young artist, Amo has gained significant recognition through programmes such as RMB Talent Unlocked (2019) and Berman Contemporary’s New Vanguard mentorship programme (2020). 

Her work has been exhibited locally and internationally, including at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, and Art Cologne in Germany.

Working primarily in ceramics, Amo transforms clay from a functional material into a powerful vehicle for personal expression. Hand-building her sculptures from layered clay slabs, she creates dynamic forms that suggest movement, growth, and breath. Her practice explores the complexities of human emotion, examining themes such as desire, control, repetition, fatigue, and release. Through an introspective process of translating lived experiences into sculptural form, Amo creates deeply personal works that invite reflection on the emotional landscapes that shape our lives.