Art for Change Prize: Meet the Judges for Africa

As part of a shared mission in making art, culture, and creativity accessible to everyone, this prize will stimulate dialogue around visual arts as a medium for positive global and social change and give exposure to emerging artists worldwide. 

Six winners from around the world will be decided by some of the best business and creative minds from the M&C Saatchi Group globally and eminent guest judges. In this Art for Change series, we hear from our regional judges. Find out what makes them tick artistically, what equality means to them, and what they are looking for in our winners.

Introducing our judges for Africa: Robert Grace, founding partner and head of strategy at M&C Saatchi Abel South Africa, Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi Abel South Africa, Mary Corrigall, African art critic and founder of Corrigall & Co

1. Describe yourself in 3 emojis.

Robert> ⚡️🔎🍾

Neo> 👊🏾✌🏾🙅🏾‍♂️

Mary> 👹👾😍

2. How would you explain your job to a child?

Robert> I try to understand how people feel.

Neo> I tell great stories in words and pictures that build a relationship between people and products.  

Mary> I help people enjoy art and best understand how to build art industries in Africa

3. Tell us what inspires you.

Robert> The everydayness of the world around me.

Neo> I’m inspired by people and their ability to make it against all odds. 

Mary> Quiet museums. Tightly curated exhibitions. Transformative texts. Long runs. Delicate cakes. 

4. What excites you most about the Art for Change Prize?

Robert> Genuine impact. For an emerging artists it provides a platform to exhibit at the most iconic art gallery in the world. And for the millions of people that visit the Saatchi Gallery it is the opportunity to be exposed to incredibly diverse perspectives on an issue that affects every single one of us.

Neo> The opportunities and possibilities that the prize will unleash for the Artists. 

Mary> The opportunity to observe a generation's artistic expression from the African continent. The theme of the award also prompts questions about the role of art and transformation that need to be constantly addressed. 

5. This year’s theme is ‘Equality’. What does ‘Equality’ mean to you?

Robert> Deep empathy for others. Which has to start with a consciousness of where you find yourself in the world around you.

Neo> Equality means everyone given a chance to be the best they can be without any limitations brought about by any manmade criteria aimed at discriminating against people.

Mary> Equality is a guiding value underpinning democracy. It has been evasive, though it has been an ideal. No one enters the world on equal footing, the best a society or government can do is to remain constantly aware of this and adjust policies and attitudes to counteract it. 

6. You’re judging entries from Africa. What will you be looking for as a judge?

Robert> Ideas and stories that, whilst of a specific African context and perspective, connect in some way to the universal human condition (be it a reflection, provocation, or moment of enlightenment).

Neo> I’ll be looking for a fresh take on African Art.

Mary> I will be looking for works that are visually impressive but also conceptually rich. 

7. What does art for change mean to you?

Robert> My somewhat eccentric parents took me to my first arts festival when I was nine. It was the 1988 annual National Arts Festival. The immense sense of liberation and freedom I got from the arts (definitely not fully understanding or appreciating it all) has had a lasting impression and influenced so much of my life. I now sit on the board of the National Arts Festival and am privileged to be able to give back to this important platform for the arts and artists in South Africa.

Neo> Art For Change means the opening of doors for human development through Art. 

Mary> Artists are best positioned to reflect and process change for society, I don't believe they can bring about change. 

8. If you could steal one artwork from art history, what would it be?

Robert> I’d like to steal back Picasso’s 'Le Pigeon aux Petits Pois' – hopefully it didn’t end up in a trashcan as the accused thieves say!  

Neo> I do not support the stealing of anything but if I were to choose one artwork as a gift, I’d choose The Sistine Chapel ceiling. 

Mary> Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi