BMW ART GENERATION VOL. IV announces rethinking of indigenous knowledge systems ahead of August opening
Presented by BMW South Africa in collaboration with FNB Art Joburg, the BMW Art Generation Vol. IV brings together some of the most significant and compelling voices in contemporary African and diasporic art.
Held together by an exhibition running parallel to a public programme including talks and music, this year’s volume unfolds across the BMW Art Haus in Parktown North and the MAX section at FNB Art Joburg’s 19th edition.
“At BMW, we believe art has the power to connect people, open new perspectives, and deepen our understanding of the world around us,” says Taz Ramphisa, General Manager: Customer & Brand of BMW South Africa.
“The BMW Art Generation reflects our commitment to creativity, cultural exchange, and meaningful engagement with contemporary African art. By creating spaces for discovery, reflection, and exchange, we aim to support the ideas, voices, and practices that continue to shape the continent’s cultural landscape.”
Together, the two sites form a single exhibition that moves across the city, enabling audiences to encounter the work within the intimate setting of The BMW Art Haus alongside the energy, exchange, and scale of the continent’s leading contemporary African art fair.
At the heart of this year’s edition is From Whose Waters Do We Drink?, a framework conceptualised by Kim Kandan.
The framework invites audiences to consider the knowledge systems, references, and inheritances that shape how we understand the world, while thinking more deeply about where knowledge comes from, who carries it, and how it continues to evolve.
Rather than treating indigenous knowledge systems as something belonging only to the past, the exhibition considers the ways these systems remain present, active, and generative within contemporary life and artistic practice.
Across the exhibition, participating artists respond to questions of memory, place, identity, transmission, and ways of knowing, creating a space where different histories and perspectives exist in conversation.
The result is a multi-layered experience that is as much about gathering and exchange as it is about looking at art.
During the opening weekend, visitors can move between exhibitions, conversations, books, food, wine, and music, spending time with the ideas and people who shape this year’s edition.
The exhibition features Professor Berni Searle, Bronwyn Katz, Cheriese Maharaj, donna Kukama, Dr George Mahashe, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi, Kamil Hassim, Kamva Matuis, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Lady Skollie, Lebohang Kganye, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, Paulo Nazareth, Portia Zvavahera, Robin Rhode, Simnikiwe Buhlungu, and Yinka Shonibare.
An extension of BMW Collectors Co.’s commitment to building meaningful relationships between audiences, artists, and ideas, The BMW Art Generation reflects BMW South Africa’s longstanding engagement with contemporary culture and its belief in creating spaces for cultural dialogue.
Its presentation alongside FNB Art Joburg further connects the platform to the fair’s commitment to developing African art ecosystems and creating opportunities for audiences to encounter artists and practices from across the continent.
“The BMW Art Generation has always been about more than introducing people to contemporary African art. It is about creating conditions for meaningful engagement. Every encounter contributes to an ecosystem where knowledge is shared across generations, and collecting begins with understanding. This year’s theme invites us to reflect not only on what we know, but where that knowledge comes from and how we ensure it continues to flow into the future,” says Mandla Sibeko, Director of FNB Art Joburg.
The BMW Art Generation Vol. IV opens at The BMW Art Haus on Saturday, 29 August and Sunday, 30 August 2026, with a programme designed to encourage audiences to spend the day moving between the two sites looking, listening, thinking, and connecting.
Doors open at 11:00, with the opening weekend programme beginning with a guided walkabout through From Whose Waters Do We Drink? at The BMW Art Haus at 12:00.
The walkabout will unpack how participating artists respond to this year’s conceptual framework and engage with indigenous knowledge systems in contemporary contexts.
At 13:00 and 15:00, thought-provoking conversations will explore the ideas, histories, and questions at the heart of From Whose Waters Do We Drink?, featuring leading voices from across the continent.
Throughout the day, a reading room and bookstore by Jonathan Ball Publishers will offer a carefully selected library of literary titles that expands on the exhibition, its artists, and the ideas shaping this year’s edition.
There will also be moments to pause and connect. Between exhibitions and conversations, audiences can gather over exceptional local cuisine, South Africa’s finest Méthode Cap Classique and wine, as well as the company of fellow thinkers, artists, and enthusiasts.
Music forms the final chapter of each day, with the programme running from 16:00 to 20:00.
DJ sets and a headline performance will carry the spirit of The BMW Art Generation into the evening. Thando Zide will headline Saturday’s programme, while Nduduzo Makhathini will headline Sunday’s.
