Gallery MOMO, in partnership with Absa and SANAVA, welcomed visual artist Kutlwano Monyai’s highly anticipated debut solo exhibition, ‘Dakalo – The Ultimate Gift,’ since winning the Absa L’Atelier Art 2024 Award. The official opening of the exhibition took place at Gallery MOMO on the 17th of July, 2026, marking a significant milestone in Monyai’s artistic journey. The exhibition is a reflection of the transformative opportunities created through the Absa L’Atelier Art Award, one of Africa’s longest-standing and most respected visual arts development programmes.

‘Dakalo – The Ultimate Gift’ explores the deeply personal and universal relationship between grief, healing, and joy. Through an evocative body of work that combines polyethylene, concrete, wood, and crocheted materials, Monyai invites audiences to consider how pain, memory, and resilience intertwine to shape both personal and collective identities.

‘Dakalo,‘ a Tshivenda word meaning ‘joy’ or ‘happiness,’ serves as both the exhibition’s title and philosophical anchor. Rather than presenting joy as a simple emotional destination, Monyai positions it as an ongoing practice of returning to gratitude, hope, and human connection despite experiences of loss and uncertainty.

Speaking at the exhibition, Monyai reflected, saying, “It is great to see people relate to the work.” She added that she wanted people to know that “what is at the heart of this work are the experiences of grief and healing and joy and what that looks like from a point of home in our communities.” This reflection can be seen in the art and how it tells a story that begins from a place of grief and gradually unfolds into a meditation on how human emotions can transform. Through fractured forms, woven structures, and reconstructed domestic materials, Monyai managed to reflect on the ways communities inherit, carry, and ultimately reshape histories of trauma. 

Senior Art and Museum Curator at Absa Group, Dr. Paul Bayliss, spoke about how Monyai’s work challenged viewers to recognise grief not only as an experience of absence but also as a catalyst for empathy, healing, and renewal. “Monyai’s work courageously examines the coexistence of grief and joy, demonstrating that healing is rarely linear. Kutlwano has transformed everyday materials into powerful sculptural narratives that offer insight into the human experience; she explores memory, community, and interconnectedness with remarkable sensitivity. Through ‘Dakalo’, Kutlwano demonstrates that joy is often discovered not in the absence of suffering and pain but through our capacity to rebuild, reconnect, and imagine new possibilities together through an experience we all can recognise,” said Dr Bayliss.

In addition to the sentiments, Dr. Bayliss reflected on the importance of Absa L’Atelier Art and Monyai’s Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassadorship, by saying, “Absa L’Atelier Art continues to invest in artists by helping them fast-track their careers. Absa L’Atelier Art’s aim is to create opportunities that are meaningful to artistic growth, professional development, and international visibility. Kutlwano’s debut solo exhibition as an Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassador is a powerful example of how the initiative’s pillars support developing bold, intellectually rigorous, and socially relevant artists who contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s contemporary art landscape.“

Born in 1996, Kutlwano Monyai is an artist, scholar, and independent curator based in Johannesburg. Having recently completed a postgraduate diploma in fine and applied arts at Tshwane University of Technology, she has steadily established herself as one of South Africa’s most promising emerging contemporary artists. Her practice has been shaped through exhibitions at the Pretoria Art Museum, the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, the Turbine Art Fair, Modern Arts Projects South Africa, and numerous collaborative initiatives that examine memory, identity, and materiality.

Her selection as one of the 2024 Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassadors represents another important chapter in a career defined by thoughtful experimentation and critical engagement with contemporary social realities.

As Absa L’Atelier Art celebrates four decades of arts development on the continent, the goal remains that of championing emerging artists by providing access to mentorship, residencies, exhibition opportunities, and professional development. The programme continues to invest in artistic excellence while creating pathways for African artists to gain greater local and international recognition.

While ‘Dakalo – The Ultimate Gift’ might be Monyai’s debut solo exhibition as an Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassador, it also testifies to the enduring role of Absa L’Atelier Art in nurturing artists whose work expands cultural conversations and enriches South Africa’s creative landscape. 

Exhibition Details

• Exhibition: Dakalo – The Ultimate Gift
• Artist: Kutlwano Monyai (2024 Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassador Award Winner)
• Gallery: Gallery MOMO, Rosebank, Johannesburg
• Exhibition Dates: 18 July – 29 August 2026
• Free Entry