MTN and Sanlam to Showcase Artwork in a Collaborative Exhibition, ‘Re Mmogo: We are Together’

MTN and Sanlam are showcasing a selection of artworks from their respective art collections in the collaborative exhibition Re Mmogo: We are Together. Featuring over 100 pieces by 75 artists from South Africa, the African continent, and its diasporic global community, the exhibition will be open for viewing at Sanlam’s Offices on 11 Alice Lane, Sandton, Gauteng, from 7 September 2022.

The present exhibition with the MTN Art Collection was conceived to be one of a complimentary collaboration in the spirit of the title Re Mmôgô (We are Together, translated from Se Tswana).

Key works were selected to highlight the communalities where both collections hold artworks by the same artist such as Gerard Sekoto, Durant Sihlali, Willem Boshoff and Simon Lekgetho. In other instances, there were conceptual or formal congruities such as in the works for Gavin Younge and Stephen Maqashela, Yinka Shonibare and Tracey Rose, Owusu-Ankomah and Alexis Preller.

This is not MTN and Sanlam’s first collaboration. In August 2021, the companies announced that they had joined forces in an exclusive strategic alliance to develop and distribute a comprehensive range of insurance, investment, and savings products to their customers across Africa. For Sanlam, this has provided an opportunity to accelerate growth on the African continent.

Culture is such a powerful part of life in Africa, it is the heart and soul of who we are. We are so excited to extend our partnership with MTN to this collaborative exhibition, a true celebration of African talent, growth and potential.

Stefan Hundt, Curator, Sanlam Art Collection

The cultural collaboration further solidifies this business partnership and demonstrates how two corporates, from historically different backgrounds, have come together to also present an exhibition which not only showcases a selection of works from the Sanlam Art Collection, now in its 56th year, and the MTN Art Collection, now in its 24th year, but to also validate how both companies have for decades contributed to the South African arts sector in markedly similar ways.

Through the responsible management and preservation of heritage treasures, availing education and internal awareness programmes, and managing avid publication drives to disseminate information about South African, and African, arts, culture, and heritage – Sanlam and MTN have both been contributing significantly not only towards the sector, but also towards government’s nation building efforts.

The works showcased are a small selection of significant images which reflect on the historical transformation of South Africa over the past 50 years. They present a testament to the creative ingenuity of developing a diverse visual vocabulary which speaks of the struggles, anxieties, and dreams of an evolving nation as it comes to terms with history and its place in Africa.

Niel Nortje, Manager, MTN Art Collection