As we wind down 2024, survive the last remaining workdays laughing at all the Sanrio Hello Kitty office memes, and look forward to summer or snow (depending on which hemisphere you’re in), we thought it fitting to publish our list of Artists to Watch in 2025 ahead of the holidays this year instead of at the start of 2025. That way you can browse through the artists in between family time these holidays. This carefully curated list highlights 15 artists who made waves in 2024 and are poised to shine even brighter in the upcoming year.
Why You Should Follow Artists to Watch in 2025
Artprice reported that their global index for the art market decreased by 11% between 1 July and 1 October, and is down 22% for the year to 1 October. The only time the index has been lower was in 1998, so it is a significant time for the art market, and some may be hopeful that the low-point is signifying future optimism about the market, and that applies to the market has a whole, not only to those we’ve covered here.
How Collectors Can Engage with These Artists
If there’s an exhibition or art fair in your town and one of the artists is exhibiting, it can be an excellent opportunity to engage with the artist and their works in person. According to global data and business intelligence platform Statista, roughly 74 percent of surveyed art buyers worldwide reported using Instagram for art-related purposes in 2022. So we have helped you out and each artist’s name has links to their Instagram account where they have one.
Artists to Watch from Art Fair Prizes
Many of the artists on our list come from diverse backgrounds and gained recognition through prestigious art prizes in 2024. While winning an award doesn’t always guarantee future success, it often significantly boosts an artist’s career, especially if they are in the earlier stages of their careers as mentioned in a previous post. Here are seven exciting artists who received accolades this year:
Boemo Diale (2000, South Africa)
Diale clinched the Tomorrows/Today Prize at the Cape Town Art Fair. Her work explores themes of race, gender, identity, and spirituality, drawing inspiration from her experiences in Rustenburg, Mafikeng, and Johannesburg. Diale’s introspective and playful art spans various mediums, now including ceramics. She is represented by Kalashnikovv Gallery in South Africa.
Alfred Lowe (1996, Australia)
Lowe won the prize at Sydney Contemporary for his clay and ceramic works exploring themes of Country through organic forms inspired by the central desert landscape of his home. The Arrernte artist’s practice covers areas of interest inspired by his experiences growing up in Central Australia: racial justice, politics, and cultural identity. Sabbia Gallery in Australia represents him.
Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude (1988, Zimbabwe)
Nyaude won the prize at ArtJoburg. . Nyaude’s works are described as “oscillating between figuration, abstraction and hallucination”, drawing from the restless energy of Mbare in Harare with piercing commentary on social issues. His art is part of major collections like the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the Rubell Family Collection. First Floor Gallery Harare represents him.
Jasleen Kaur (1986, Scotland)
Kaur won the Tate Art Prize for her innovative installations that renegotiate tradition and mythology. Her solo exhibition, Alter Altar at Tramway, Glasgow, featured immersive works combining religious and cultural sounds from her heritage and childhood, kinetic elements, and objects from personal narratives. Her work is part of the UK Government Art Collection.
Xanthe Somers (1992, Zimbabwe)
Ceramic sculptor Somers won the Latitudes Art Fair’s annual award. Her practice interrogates colonial history’s impact on aesthetics, reimagining everyday objects. Her works challenge prevailing notions of beauty and refinement shaped by the Christian colonial gaze. She is represented by Southern Guild in South Africa.
Jacob Gils (1963, Denmark)
Photographer Gils won the Zona Maco Erarta Foundation Prize, chosen by attendees rather than a jury. His series Movement combines technical precision with dynamic imagery, creating dreamlike cityscapes. Gils is represented by galleries across Europe and the U.S.
Nat Faulkner (1995, United Kingdom)
For his analogue photography and sculpture practice, Faulkner won the Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Prize at Frieze London. His darkroom experimentation and use of traditional ‘silvering’ techniques create evocative works that challenge modern technology’s role in art.
The Changemakers
These three artists are celebrated for boldly evolving their practices, marking exciting transitions in their careers.
Nelson Makamo (1982, South Africa)
Makamo is renowned for his charcoal and oil paintings that challenge stereotypes about African children. His vibrant new watercolour works debuted in the exhibition Botho, Motho, Batho. As Makamo has explored his style creatively, famously, someone said to him, “I prefer your old work”, which has since also had the quote made into a t-shirt to remind all artists to continue to explore their creative growth. Makamo ensures his art remains accessible to collectors at various price points.
Ayogu Kingsley (1994, Nigeria)
Known for hyperrealist portraits of Black icons, Kingsley’s recent exhibition If Hives Could Dance in Colours showcases his experimentation with sponges, nets, and layered textures. His works explore identity’s complexities, blending precision with conceptual depth.
Kapwani Kiwanga (1978, Canada)
Kiwanga represented Canada at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Her research-driven works across sculpture, photography, and performance explore historical narratives and power dynamics. Her innovative approach continues to push boundaries.
The Artists Who Caught Our Eye
These five artists captivated us with their unique styles and narratives:
Birhane Worede (1998, Ethiopia)
Worede’s loose, gestural works explore colour and emotion, shifting between figuration and abstraction. Inspired by the bustling Merkato market in Addis Ababa, his art captures the essence of his vibrant surroundings.
Nereida Apaza Mamani (1979, Peru)
Apaza’s multidisciplinary practice critiques social norms while addressing pressing environmental and identity issues. Drawing from her Andean heritage, her works use diverse materials like embroidery and animation to engage viewers. Apaza tackles pressing environmental and social issues through her art, making acquisitions of this artist’s work an impact investment.
Waru-Natasha Ogunji (1970, US/Nigeria)
Ogunji’s works, from hand-stitched drawings to public performances, reflect the rhythms of Lagos. Her performances examine women’s presence in public spaces, exploring themes of labour, leisure, and freedom. With this in mind, look forward to their exhibition at Tiwani Contemporary in London, UK in April/May 2025.
Nene Mahlangu (1992, South Africa)
Mahlangu’s figurative drawings celebrate the divinity and strength of womanhood. Her evocative works create emotionally safe spaces for her, emphasizing vulnerability, confidence, and transcendence. For the viewer, they might evoke the feeling of being exposed.
Eme Omeh (1994, Nigeria)
Omeh’s textured canvases explore fragmented childhood memories and Nigerian storytelling traditions. Using layered paint and materials, his works resonate with themes of identity and human connection. Their current exhibition “Tales of Tales” is being shown by Hope 93 Project Space in London, UK.
Special Mentions
While not part of the main list, the following artists deserve following for their impactful work:
Emerging talent that is breaking boundaries
- Lindokuhle Sobekwa (1995, South Africa): A photographer documenting nuanced stories from South Africa, recently featured at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. The artist lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sobekwa is the second photographer to receive the award in the prize’s history.
- Julius Agbaje (1992, Nigeria) & Shabu Mwangi (1985, Kenya): Winners of the ART X Lagos prizes in 2023, exploring socio-political themes and the balance between love and pain. Agbaje’s artworks reflect his life’s journey, exploring themes like racial discrimination, politics and spirituality. Mwangi’s work traces an ongoing personal journey of striving to understand the balance between the two things that drive us, love and pain, and how we react in different ways depending on which of the two is dominant.
Sculptors Revolutionising the Art World
- Lucky Sibiya (1942-1999, South Africa): Internationally renowned for abstract paintings painted on board and sculptural carvings, the artist’s fascination with the abstract began in his childhood, partly due to his presence at his father’s consultations as a Sangoma (a traditional healer). Significantly, it is great to see more interest in their work as signalled by them getting their own auction price index. That said, artists like Sibiya and his mentor Cecil Skotnes are susceptible to being embroiled in forgeries scams which is sad for their estates and their bona fide collectors.
- Sonal Ambani (India): Winner of the inaugural India Art Fair prize, South Asia’s most significant, her most recent work is an installation entitled ‘Slings & Arrows of Outrageous Fortune’ (a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet), addressing the gender pay gap, presented at the European Cultural Centre (ECC) at the 60th Venice Biennale.
- Agnès Brezephin (Martinique): Honoured at the Dakar Biennale for her fibre art and sculpture. Fibre art was a strong feature of Art Basel Miami 2024 and should undoubtedly receive even greater recognition in the future.
- Oliver Herring (1960, Germany): Experimental artist whose collaborative performances explore human connection. Herring was the winner of the SAUER Prize at the 2024 edition of ARMORY for his seminal sculptural works knitted in silver mylar: “An Age for Hands,” a six-panel quilt that was exhibited at the Guggenheim in 1997, and “Big Round Flat” a spherical work that alludes to a crashed disco ball. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
There are so many more exciting artists we have seen this year, you can also follow our Instagram feed for a look back at many of them. By spotlighting these trailblazing artists, we aim to inspire collectors and enthusiasts to explore the evolving art landscape in 2025. Whether through exhibitions, collaborations, or investments, supporting these artists can help shape the future of art. So, which artists are you going to be watching in 2025? Let us know in the comments section!