Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) aims to recognise emerging Southern African fine artists who demonstrate exceptional talent and help them take the next step in their careers. We spoke with Luxolo Witvoet, one of the artists chosen for the programme.
INTERVIEW Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied
Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) is the flagship artist development programme within the Nando’s Art Initiative, recognising emerging fine artists from Southern Africa who demonstrate exceptional talent. Now in its 15th year, the programme provides these artists with the support they need to advance their careers to the next level.
Each year, the Spier Arts Trust selects four artists and a mentor for the programme, which includes mentorship, material sponsorship, and a group exhibition. This year’s programme features Bekezela Mabena, Luxolo Witvoet, Mpumelelo Samantha Maseko and Viola Greyling. Their exhibition, titled Tiriparwendo — which runs from 13 November 2026 at HUB Gallery — takes its name from a Shona word meaning “we are on a journey”.
We spoke with Luxolo Witvoet to find out more about his artistic journey.
What does it mean to you to have your work presented at the Nando’s Creative Exchange?
“An opportunity to show one’s work on any major platform is a great deal. So it is a special honour and a huge motivator for me as a young and emerging artist. Especially being selected to showcase alongside such uniquely talented individuals.”
Can you tell us about the body of work you’re presenting – what ideas did you explore?
“I had to keep true to what was special to me about my own work and find a way to assimilate it into the theme of migration. The theme is broad and vast and it’s a universally global theme. It made me want to look at my own history. So with my fascination and sensibility towards reimagining historical South African figures and stories, I took inspiration and photographic references from the books The Rise and Fall of Apartheid, The Fifties People of South Africa, House of Bondage and African Photography from The Walther Collection Distance and Desire Encounters with the African Archive.”
Walk us through your creative process for this body of work – were there any unexpected challenges or breakthroughs along the way?
“The challenge for me was scale, and as someone who usually works with small scales, I wanted to expand the size of the scale and go bigger. Since I begin by drawing freehand, I had to adapt to this larger scale and also introduce multiple figures into my work, as I usually explore portraiture. The breakthrough was being loose in some of the works, whilst still maintaining it within my geometric flatness style.”
How did your mentorship experience inform your approach to this exhibition?
“I began with reading Don Mattera’s book Gone With the Twilight and I picked up the book The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence. However, our amazing mentor Colijn set the tone for us and said, while you read, always be drawing, because one can get lost in the research. That was the first step I took, since I already knew my work would be figurative: to take the information I was reading and begin with drawing from memory, without any references, so I got to tap into my imaginative side, although I would eventually arrive at working with references.”
What is one thing from your experience with the NCX programme that you’ll take away with you?
“I learnt not to take my art too seriously and to trust and lean towards my ideas and follow my gut feeling and make adjustments as I go along and also have fun and play, or else I’ll procrastinate. That is not in any way saying I do not want my art to be taken seriously; however, I learnt that seriousness could be detrimental to creative growth, flow and experimentation.”
Tiriparwendo is on show at HUB Gallery from 13 November 2026 at Union House, 25 Commercial Street, Cape Town. spierartstrust.co.za | @spierartstrust
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