SA: UJ announces 2025 AIR Programme recipients

The initiative is designed to foster arts-practice research, requiring participants to complete at least one creative output project within a 12-month period, in accordance with the Department of Higher Education’s standards for creative output.

On 26 August 2024, the UJ Artists in Residence Programme opened its fourth call for submissions, managed by the Creative Outputs Task Team, which includes representatives from across the institution. The call attracted over 324 expressions of interest from artists worldwide, leading to 219 formal applications. After a rigorous selection process, seven outstanding artists were chosen to take part in the 2025 residency.

“In a country as dynamic and multifaceted as ours, arts-practice research is essential in promoting dialogue, celebrating identity, and driving inclusive social transformation,” UJ head of arts & culture, Pieter Jacobs, said. “It plays a pivotal role in shaping South Africa’s cultural and social landscape. By exploring new forms of expression, understanding, and creativity, it fosters deeper connections between diverse communities and bodies of knowledge. Beyond enriching our cultural heritage, it also addresses contemporary issues, offering innovative solutions to societal conflicts and challenges.”

The UJ AIR Programme supports artists working in one or a combination of disciplines, including music, visual arts and fine arts, theatre, performance and dance, design, film and television, and literary arts. By providing a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and research, the programme continues to contribute to the evolution of artistic practice in South Africa and beyond.

The selected artists are as follows:

• Franco Prinsloo – Music Residency, hosted by UJ Arts & Culture
• Muhammad Dajee – Design Residency, hosted by APB Post Graduate School of Architecture
• Bongani Mncube – Film and Television residency, hosted by APK Communication and Media Studies
• Justin Fox – Literary Arts Residency, hosted by APK English Department
• Bev Butkow – Visual and Fine Arts Residency, hosted by UJ Art Gallery
• Zebra Collective – Fine Arts Residency, hosted by APB Visual Art
• Oupa Sibeko – Visual & Fine Arts Residency, hosted by APB Visual Art