The City of Johannesburg, through the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), hosted the Sugar Coats exhibition by acclaimed Zimbabwean artist Gresham Tapiwa Nyaunde on Saturday, 13 December 2025.
Nyaunde is the 2024 FNB Art Prize winner, and Sugar Coats officially opened at JAG on 23 August 2025. The exhibition forms part of a long-standing partnership between the Johannesburg Art Gallery and FNB Art Joburg, which sees the work of FNB Art Prize winners showcased at the gallery.
The opening programme was followed by a robust and engaging panel discussion, bringing together artists, curators and art enthusiasts to reflect on contemporary artistic practice and its social relevance.
Nyaunde’s work has consistently grappled with the complexities of power, identity and survival in urban Zimbabwe. Through an evolving visual language, everyday objects — such as chairs, feet, laughing mouths and sneakers — are transformed into powerful metaphors for authority, resistance, aspiration and disillusionment. Sugar Coats builds on this practice, confronting disempowerment and exposing the lingering effects of colonial systems that continue to shape everyday life.
MMC for Community Development, Cllr Tebogo Nkokou, praised the exhibition, saying: “As the City, we are proud to see young artists using their craft to engage critically with society and contribute to the ongoing struggle for a better life. There is a depth and honesty in this work that speaks to a commitment to a future that represents all who live on this continent. We congratulate Gresham Nyaunde on his sterling work.”
Born in Mbare, Harare, in 1988, Nyaunde has, over the past 15 years, developed a practice marked by conviction and integrity. His work has earned international recognition, including participation in the New Museum Triennial in 2018 and exhibitions at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.
Reflecting on the exhibition, Nyaunde said: “With Sugar Coats, I hoped to present a body of work that is both satirical and compassionate — a reflection on what it means to hustle, to endure, and to reimagine possibility under the weight of systemic constraint.”
Written by Maseipati Tsotsotso