BMW Art Generation Vol. IV opens across Johannesburg from 29 August to 6 September 2026. The programme runs under the theme From Whose Waters Do We Drink, conceptualised by curator Kim Kandan. BMW South Africa presents the initiative through The BMW Collectors Co., in partnership with FNB Art Joburg. Nine days of exhibitions, talks and performances unpack how indigenous knowledge systems shape creative practice today.
Culture heads already know BMW Art Generation as more than a gallery walk. This fourth volume uses water as metaphor and material, tracing memory, ancestry and belonging across two connected venues. Expect installation, photography, sculpture, performance and moving image from a new generation of African artists.
Mark your calendar and purchase tickets here before they sell out.
What is BMW Art Generation Vol. IV About?
BMW Art Generation Vol. IV explores Indigenous Knowledge Systems as living, evolving frameworks rather than fixed traditions. Kim Kandan builds the show around water as both metaphor and material reference, asking how communities carry knowledge across generations and renew it through lived experience.
Participating artists sit with memory, ecology, ancestry and speculative futures across the run. The show asks how contemporary African art can protect old knowledge while imagining new possibilities. It’s built for anyone curious about where ideas and identity actually come from.
Here’s what to expect from the two-part BMW Art Generation Vol. IV experience.
The BMW Art Haus Opens The First Chapter in Parktown North
The BMW Art Haus hosts the opening chapter, turning a domestic Parktown North setting into a space built for exploration and reflection. Doors open here a full week ahead of FNB Art Joburg’s main fair.
Expect:
- An intimate, domestic setting reimagined as a working gallery.
- Guided walkabouts and talks scheduled throughout the run.
Where? Find it at 46 7th Avenue, Parktown North, 2193.
FNB Art Joburg’s MAX Section Extends the Conversation
The second chapter continues inside the MAX section at FNB Art Joburg, running 4 to 6 September at the Sandton Convention Centre. This 19th edition brings exhibitors from 19 African countries across eight curated sections, with more than 100 artists showing work.
Both days close out with live performances: Thando Zide takes Saturday, and Nduduzo Makhathini closes out Sunday.
Meet the Curator Behind the Theme
Kim Kandan treats knowledge as something renewed through lived experience, not handed down unchanged, and that thinking runs through every medium in the show. FNB Art Joburg’s Mandla Sibeko frames this year’s theme as a chance to think about where knowledge comes from and how it keeps moving forward.
FAQs About BMW Art Generation Vol. IV
BMW Art Generation Vol. IV raises a few practical questions before you plan your visit. Here’s what you need to know.
When does BMW Art Generation Vol. IV take place?
The programme runs from 29 August to 6 September 2026, opening at The BMW Art Haus before continuing into FNB Art Joburg’s 19th edition from 4 to 6 September.
Where is BMW Art Generation Vol. IV held?
The first chapter is shown at The BMW Art Haus, 46 7th Avenue, Parktown North. The second continues in the MAX section at FNB Art Joburg, Sandton Convention Centre.
Who curated BMW Art Generation Vol. IV?
Kim Kandan conceptualised and curated the exhibition, building it around Indigenous Knowledge Systems and water as a metaphor.
What can I expect to see at the exhibition?
Installation, photography, sculpture, performance and moving image work exploring memory, ancestry, ecology and speculative futures.
Is visitor information for The BMW Art Haus available yet?
Full visitor details, including participating artists and public programming, will roll out closer to the opening date.
Got a question we haven’t covered? Contact us, and we’ll get back to you with more info.
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