Tiffany-Supported Frieze Initiative Gives Emerging Artists a Platform
At Frieze London 2026, Tiffany & Co.'s Artist-to-Artist programme invites established artists to choose emerging creatives for presentations at the fair. This edition features Yinka Shonibare selecting Cape Town-based artist Unathi Mkonto, whose practice spans drawing, installation, sculpture and performance. Mkonto's work draws on architecture and explores how built environments can improve living conditions, with South African subject matter.
The Tiffany-backed Artist-to-Artist strand at Frieze London 2026 pairs established figures with newer voices. Yinka Shonibare chose Unathi Mkonto, a self-taught Cape Town artist whose output includes drawing, installation, sculpture and performance. His architectural training shapes a practice asking how constructed spaces might support better living.
Mkonto treats architecture as open and theatrical, where gaps and transitional zones can be inhabited; even a box or sketch may function as a building. He considers soil, trees, water and coastal imagery as sources for an African architectural language, including agriculture’s potential role. Shonibare notes Mkonto’s minimalist-looking forms carry South African subject matter and historical continuity.
This platform may broaden visibility for emerging artists from Cape Town and other underrepresented scenes, potentially connecting them with collectors, curators and international audiences. It could also encourage conversations about architecture, land and sustainable living within contemporary art. Audiences may encounter African perspectives on minimalism and material culture, while galleries and fairs may face pressure to sustain such opportunities beyond a single presentation.