Flying for the first time
These are the words of artist Sphesihle Hlatshwayo, who flew for the first time as 1 of 4 visual artists who Nedbank and the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) took to the Montreux Jazz Festival from 27 to 29 March. Nedbank was the festival's presenting partner and it was the first time this global event was held in Africa.
During the festival, the artists drew caricatures in real time of the people visiting the Nedbank ACT VIP area. All 4 artists are alumni of the ACT Nyoloha Scholarship programme, of which Nedbank is one of the funders. Rick Baloyi was the 2019 scholarship winner, Azanda Nyangintsimbi was the 2023 scholarship winner, and Lauren Wood and Sphesihle Hlatshwayo were both 2023 finalists.
'I've always heard my work will take me places and this trip did just that,' said Hlatshwayo, who is in the third year of his fine arts studies at the Tshwane University of Technology. 'From the dusty streets of my home in Daveyton to the Montreux Festival, it was a dream, a vision come true.'
Also having flown for the first time, Baloyi said: 'I was hyped, I had so many expectations and it didn't disappoint. The feeling of taking flight and being in the sky was completely amazing, as was seeing the lights at night from above. I have never seen this part of the earth like this before.'
Baloyi, who graduated with a fine arts degree from the University of Johannesburg in 2024 and is now based in Joburg's downtown precinct of Maboneng, added: 'And then arriving in Cape Town and going to the festival in Franschhoek! I knew the festival is big, but arriving there I saw just how big it is.'
Poovi Pillay, Executive Head of the Social Impact Unit at Nedbank, said: 'Flying for the first time really resonates with the name Nyoloha, which means "to rise", and these artists are certainly rising. It speaks very much to the purpose and power of the ACT Nyoloha Scholarship programme.'
'All the artists who participate in the programme across the years become alumni, and whenever possible we extend opportunities like this to them,' added Jessica Denyschen, ACT CEO. 'The four worked incredibly hard at the Montreux Jazz Festival, drawing approximately 24 caricatures per day in charcoal and pencil. Guest liaison staff took photographs of the people who visited the VIP area, and the artists would then draw the caricatures from the photographs.'
'It was a really interesting experience as I've never done anything like that before,' says Nyangintsimbi, a third-year student at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town. 'We were working, so we didn't have much time to see the performances, but I did get to see Thandiswa Mazwai perform, which was a highlight for me.
'She is an icon in South African music and I grew up listening to her music. Her album Zabalaza is my album as it is the same year I was born and it reminds me of my mother and childhood. When she released that album, she was becoming a young adult and 21 years later I resonate with this.'
Howick-based artist Lauren Wood said: 'Wow, what an amazing experience being there and being part of the team. I knew the others from the scholarship programme and we follow each other on Instagram, but it was wonderful to reconnect with them in person again. The pace was intense but also lots of fun and the whole environment was supportive. The Nedbank VIP gazebo was right near this huge stage, so while we were drawing, we could hear the music, and I now have several new names on my Spotify.'
Hlatshwayo added: 'They played the kind of music I play daily. It was incredible being there with Rick, Azanda and Lauren. As much as we are colleagues, we were like family sharing the experience.'
Baloyi said: 'Working alongside the other artists was an honour, and while I'm not used to working with people watching me, I felt joy. I enjoyed connecting with some of the people I drew and seeing their reactions when they saw the finished work.'
Nyangintsimbi added: 'It was like a reunion with Lauren and Sphesihle as it had been 3 years since we last saw each other at the ACT Nyoloha finals. I got to know Rick as well, and he is such a talent! It was really good to share our aspirations and who we are as artists and people.'
Hlatshwayo concluded: 'We share the same vision in terms of the arts and how we want to see ourselves one day, as a collective group in the art space. Being in Franschhoek was inspiring. The atmosphere and scenery is something else – what a place to be for a creative and dreamer. I felt like I belonged there – the environment, the type of lifestyle and all the art galleries. I had a conversation with a private collector and she was intrigued about how I work, and we exchanged contacts. Events like this create opportunities for artists and all four of us expressed our appreciation to ACT and Nedbank for bringing us here.'