Zimbabwean Artist Xanthe Somers Wins 2024 ANNA Award

by artweb

Xanthe Somer in her studio in London (image courtesy of the artist)

The 2024 ANNA Award, sponsored by ANNA Pure Organic, has highlighted another extraordinary talent within the African art world. This year's accolade has been awarded to Zimbabwean ceramicist Xanthe Somers, whose innovative approach and distinct artistic vision distinguished her among a highly competitive group of contenders.

The ANNA Award is an annual initiative that seeks to discover, recognize, and nurture emerging women-identifying artists from across the African continent. The 2024 competition drew an impressive 743 applications from artists representing 38 countries. From this vast and diverse pool, 12 finalists were selected, hailing from Uganda, Egypt, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, showcasing a wide range of artistic styles and cultural influences.

On August 7th, Xanthe Somers was announced as the winner of the 2024 ANNA Award, marking a significant milestone in her burgeoning career. This achievement not only highlights Somers' individual talent but also shines a spotlight on the dynamic and evolving art scene in Zimbabwe.

Born in Zimbabwe in 1992, Somers is currently based in London, where she continues to gain international recognition for her work. She recently completed an artist residency at the GUILD Residency programme in Cape Town, where she developed a new body of work that further explores her unique artistic process. Somers' ceramic creations are meticulously hand-coiled using traditional techniques, which she then disrupts through methods such as puncturing, weaving, and adorning the surfaces with intricate, hand-painted details.

Somers' academic background includes a Fine Art (Hons) degree from the Michaelis School of Fine Art and an MA in Postcolonial Culture and Global Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London, which she completed in 2020. Her work has been acquired by prestigious institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, and she has exhibited solo shows at Galerie Revel in Bordeaux, First Floor Gallery Harare, The Corridor Gallery in Harare, and Fusion Art Gallery in Turin.

As the recipient of the 2024 ANNA Award, Somers will receive R100,000 in prize money, a residency program hosted by the Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA), and an opportunity to present her work at the 2025 RMB Latitudes Art Fair. In addition to these honors, her profile will be featured on Latitudes Online, a premier platform for contemporary African art, and she will receive a year’s supply of ANNA products.