Almost all the contemporary art sold in Eswatini ends up outside the country. A new partnership between an Ezulwini Gallery and a homegrown brand movement wants to change that.
Yebo Art Gallery has teamed up with Made In Eswatini to get more locals buying and living with art. Gallery owner Aleta Armstrong confirmed the partnership on Saturday at the opening of the Eswatini Now exhibition at the gallery in Ezulwini.
Armstrong said about 95 percent of contemporary art sold leaves the country. Foreign buyers often discover pieces online and are quick to purchase, she explained, and visitors to Eswatini make a point of coming to the gallery in person. Local sales are far weaker.
She said she values Made In Eswatini because it invites all Eswatini brands to take part, not only select ones. She believes that approach will help keep art in the country.
Made In Eswatini director Melusi ‘Zox’ Dlamini described the problem plainly. The country talks constantly about job creation and the economy, he said, yet in the homes and offices he visits, there is little local art on the walls and almost no money going toward it.
He called it a mindset shift, and a culture that must be practised deliberately, especially in a small community that is stronger together.
His interest in art is longstanding. Before Made In Eswatini, Dlamini was president of the Arts and Music Association, where his main goal was promoting local art and music.
His background in tourism, he added, showed him that international consumers appreciate what Eswatini makers do while local support lags.
Armstrong thanked the artists for continuing to exhibit despite difficult economic conditions. She also noted the added pressure of AI appearing in a lot of creative work.
Whatever artists are making, she said, they should keep putting it in front of the public so people can see what is happening.
Eswatini Now curator Sam Thwala said the show was never meant to be just an exhibition. It was a chance to take stock of what Eswatini artists are thinking, making and saying right now.
Seeing the gallery full of artists, collectors, friends and first-time visitors, all in conversation about the work, was the real success for him.
That energy, Thwala said, confirmed what organisers believed from the start: Eswatini has a growing audience for contemporary art, and many important voices deserve to be seen. Among the works on display was Armstrong’s own piece, ‘Satelites or Stars’. The partnership’s aim is straightforward: to make buying local art as natural for Emaswati as admiring it.
