14–23 OCTOBER 2026
ыAWAA in Barcelona-
Location:
Carrer dels Ares, 5, Ciutat Vella,
08002 Barcelona
CİRCULO REIAL ARTISTICO
Carrer dels Ares, 5, Ciutat Vella,
08002 Barcelona
CİRCULO REIAL ARTISTICO
Exhibition dates:
14–23 October 2026
14–23 October 2026
About the AWAA
The African Women in Art Award (AWAA) is an international visual arts competition dedicated to supporting and promoting women artists from Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative was created by the Her Voice Foundation (Zambia), with the support of the World Peoples Assembly, to discover new talent and provide women artists with access to the international art scene.
Since its launch, AWAA has brought together women artists from across the African continent, creating opportunities for professional development, international exhibitions, and collaboration with art institutions and galleries.
The award is supported by an international jury of 10 members, bringing together professionals from the fields of contemporary art, curating, culture, and the art market.
Since its launch, AWAA has brought together women artists from across the African continent, creating opportunities for professional development, international exhibitions, and collaboration with art institutions and galleries.
The award is supported by an international jury of 10 members, bringing together professionals from the fields of contemporary art, curating, culture, and the art market.
AWAA recognizes artists in two career categories: Rising Artist and Established Artist, supporting practitioners at different stages of their careers. The participants work across various media. Their approaches range from Selamawit Gebretsadik’s delicate compositions of organic forms and leaf motifs, exploring memory, transformation, and human experience, to Mulenga J. Mulenga’s interdisciplinary practice, which combines visual art and performance to examine the body, identity, gender, and sexuality. In mixed media, Ribka Sisay transforms photographs into tactile compositions through weaving and stitching, turning fragments of personal experience into reflections on healing and resilience, while Crista Uwase creates poetic paper collages that explore femininity, identity, and cultural expression through clothing, colour, and handmade processes.
AWAA 2025 — “INITIATION”
The 2025 edition of the award is centered around the theme “Initiation”, exploring transformation, identity, cultural heritage, and personal growth. In many African traditions, initiation represents a symbolic transition into a new stage of life through knowledge, challenge, and renewal.
The 2025 edition received over 40 applications from artists across 10 African countries, including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Cameroon, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa.
The exhibition of finalists and winners opened in Addis Ababa on April 14, 2026, marking the beginning of an international exhibition program.
The current exhibition in Barcelona presents works by the finalists and winners of AWAA 2025, alongside works by artists who participated in AWAA 2024, continuing the award’s international exhibition program and bringing together artists from different editions of the competition.
The 2025 edition received over 40 applications from artists across 10 African countries, including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Cameroon, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa.
The exhibition of finalists and winners opened in Addis Ababa on April 14, 2026, marking the beginning of an international exhibition program.
The current exhibition in Barcelona presents works by the finalists and winners of AWAA 2025, alongside works by artists who participated in AWAA 2024, continuing the award’s international exhibition program and bringing together artists from different editions of the competition.
We warmly invite you to join us at this exhibition, which celebrates the achievements of African women artists.
Joyce Joshua Effiong
Rising artists
"The path we share"
91x121
Oil on canvas
91x121
Oil on canvas
The Path We Share' reflects the deeper narrative captured in this scene. My brushwork and composition bring out not just the physical act of walking down a rural path, but a shared story of labor, connection, and purpose. Each figure, while distinct in movement and appearance, is bound by the same journey—carrying water, an essential resource for life, much like the community bonds that sustain us.
The light, texture, and positioning of the figures are intentional. The dominant figure in the foreground, with her patterned skirt, leads the viewer’s eye but remains connected to the others through the rhythm of repeated gestures, colours, and the winding path. That path, stretching forward and back, is more than just a road—it’s a shared experience, a symbol of collective effort and unity.
By titling it "The Path We Share," I invite the viewer to see beyond the individual, to focus on the collective journey these figures represent. It is a tribute to community, resilience, and the unseen but deeply felt connections that guide us through life’s shared burdens and triumphs.
2 600 €
The light, texture, and positioning of the figures are intentional. The dominant figure in the foreground, with her patterned skirt, leads the viewer’s eye but remains connected to the others through the rhythm of repeated gestures, colours, and the winding path. That path, stretching forward and back, is more than just a road—it’s a shared experience, a symbol of collective effort and unity.
By titling it "The Path We Share," I invite the viewer to see beyond the individual, to focus on the collective journey these figures represent. It is a tribute to community, resilience, and the unseen but deeply felt connections that guide us through life’s shared burdens and triumphs.
2 600 €
Precious Longret Samuel
Established artists
"Heritage Unshackled"
120x150
Batik
120x150
Batik
This batik piece captures the presence of the Eyo masquerade—a cultural emblem deeply rooted in the traditions of Yoruba in Lagos. Seen during the Eyo festival showcasing the rich history and heritage of the Yoruba people. The Adire patterns significant to the Yoruba people in purple hues as the background, represents the royal significance of the Eyo masquerade.
The Eyo, while symbolic of festivity, also holds weight as a representation of tradition that adapts yet remains iconic. Blackness, in this context, is culture—alive, bold and foundational.
Cultural celebrations are a vital part of the Black community for several reasons. Many of these cultural celebrations originated as a way to resist oppression, maintain cultural identity, and assert humanity in the face of adversity. These celebrations can serve as a means of empowerment, promoting self-expression, pride, and resilience.
This piece is a reminder that even in the face of loss, hardship, challenges and suffering we always find a way to celebrate our culture and heritage.
6000 €
The Eyo, while symbolic of festivity, also holds weight as a representation of tradition that adapts yet remains iconic. Blackness, in this context, is culture—alive, bold and foundational.
Cultural celebrations are a vital part of the Black community for several reasons. Many of these cultural celebrations originated as a way to resist oppression, maintain cultural identity, and assert humanity in the face of adversity. These celebrations can serve as a means of empowerment, promoting self-expression, pride, and resilience.
This piece is a reminder that even in the face of loss, hardship, challenges and suffering we always find a way to celebrate our culture and heritage.
6000 €
Crista Uwase
Rwanda / Rising artists / Mixed Media / Winner
"Market Stories"
32x30
Canvas, collage
32x30
Canvas, collage
Crista creates poetic paper collages inspired by everyday life, memory and identity. Her practice grew from childhood memories of her mother's sewing and crochet, sparking a fascination with materials and handmade processes.
In this work, Crista captures the vibrant bustle of a typical market — a lively tangle of people, colourful clothes, overflowing stalls, movement and fleeting encounters. Torn, cut and stitched fragments of paper echo the rhythm of the scene, creating a delicate balance between the energy of everyday life and the quiet precision of her composition.
Her work explores femininity, culture and identity, with clothing and colour often carrying symbolic meaning. Paper becomes a tactile language through which she transforms familiar moments into intimate, layered stories.
700 €
In this work, Crista captures the vibrant bustle of a typical market — a lively tangle of people, colourful clothes, overflowing stalls, movement and fleeting encounters. Torn, cut and stitched fragments of paper echo the rhythm of the scene, creating a delicate balance between the energy of everyday life and the quiet precision of her composition.
Her work explores femininity, culture and identity, with clothing and colour often carrying symbolic meaning. Paper becomes a tactile language through which she transforms familiar moments into intimate, layered stories.
700 €
Lesego Seoketsa
South Africa / Established artists / Painting / Finalist
"Golden Ratio"
65x48
Acrylic on canvas
65x48
Acrylic on canvas
Seoketsa's practice brings together photography, collage, and painting. She works across digital imagery, acrylic, oil, charcoal, and soft pastel, combining different media within a single visual language. Portraiture occupies a central place in her work: in her paintings, photographic images are often combined with painterly fragments, producing layered and complex compositions. Her artistic practice focuses on three interconnected themes: the position of the contemporary African woman, the experience of life in post-apartheid South Africa, and the search for a new visual language capable of addressing these conditions. Although Seoketsa engages with politically and socially charged subjects, her work does not remain within a narrative of suffering. Instead, it reflects on fors of liberation, subjectivity, and self-determination in a contemporary African context
1 200 €
1 200 €
Chinenye Mariagoretti Eze
"Sacred passage I"
40x50
Photograph, silk threads
40x50
Photograph, silk threads
In various cultures worldwide, there are practices that mark life cycle transitions, from birth to the end of life. One such practice is the rite of passage. 'Ibe-ugwu' (circumcision) is a rite of passage observed among the Ukawu people of Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria. 'Ibe-ugwu' refers to a cultural practice that signifies a female child's transition into womanhood, distinct from female genital mutilation. It encompasses social, cultural, and religious rituals that prepare a girl for adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. The female pelvic bone, a symbol of womanhood and fertility, represents her strength and procreative ability.
3 500 €
3 500 €
"Sacred passage II"
40x50
Photograph, silk threads
40x50
Photograph, silk threads
In various cultures worldwide, there are practices that mark life cycle transitions, from birth to the end of life. One such practice is the rite of passage. 'Ibe-ugwu' (circumcision) is a rite of passage observed among the Ukawu people of Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria. 'Ibe-ugwu' refers to a cultural practice that signifies a female child's transition into womanhood, distinct from female genital mutilation. It encompasses social, cultural, and religious rituals that prepare a girl for adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. The female pelvic bone, a symbol of womanhood and fertility, represents her strength and procreative ability.
3 500 €
3 500 €
Selamawit G. Tsadik
Ethiopia
"Veiled"
50x60
Oil on canvas
50x60
Oil on canvas
Selamawit Gebretsadik was born in 1984 in Addis Ababa. Drawing accompanied her from early childhood. Watching her older brother paint, she became fascinated by the process of mixing colour and seeing an image emerge from material. This early experience formed a lasting connection to painting, although choosing art as a profession remained distant for many years.
Like many people in Ethiopia, Selamawit initially followed a path outside the artistic sphere, pursuing education, work, and social stability. Over time, however, the dissonance between her life and her inner necessity grew stronger. She would later describe this condition as "living outside her own world."
From 2011 to 2013, she studied academic drawing and painting at Enlightenment Art Academy, continuing her training under prominent Ethiopian artists and teachers, including Eshetu Tiruneh, a graduate of the Moscow Surikov State Academic Institute of Fine Arts, as well as Asnake Kefle and Anteneh Seyoum. Working from life and sustained engagement with drawing and painting became the foundation of her practice.
Leaving her previous profession was difficult but decisive. Selamawit taught art to children, opened a small printing business for financial stability, and continued developing her practice. In 2020, preparing her first solo exhibition marked a turning point, establishing painting as the central part of her life.
Her earlier work in the social sphere influenced her choice of themes. Stories of women and children affected by violence and injustice revealed the limits of legal language and documentary testimony. Painting became a space where these experiences could exist beyond fact and record, as states of being that cannot be fully contained in words.
1 600 €
Like many people in Ethiopia, Selamawit initially followed a path outside the artistic sphere, pursuing education, work, and social stability. Over time, however, the dissonance between her life and her inner necessity grew stronger. She would later describe this condition as "living outside her own world."
From 2011 to 2013, she studied academic drawing and painting at Enlightenment Art Academy, continuing her training under prominent Ethiopian artists and teachers, including Eshetu Tiruneh, a graduate of the Moscow Surikov State Academic Institute of Fine Arts, as well as Asnake Kefle and Anteneh Seyoum. Working from life and sustained engagement with drawing and painting became the foundation of her practice.
Leaving her previous profession was difficult but decisive. Selamawit taught art to children, opened a small printing business for financial stability, and continued developing her practice. In 2020, preparing her first solo exhibition marked a turning point, establishing painting as the central part of her life.
Her earlier work in the social sphere influenced her choice of themes. Stories of women and children affected by violence and injustice revealed the limits of legal language and documentary testimony. Painting became a space where these experiences could exist beyond fact and record, as states of being that cannot be fully contained in words.
1 600 €
Ethiopia
"Rooted in Light"
30x40
Oil on canvas
30x40
Oil on canvas
Selamawit's painting is rooted in Ethiopian artistic tradition without reproducing it directly. Ethiopian iconography shapes the rhythm and composition of her works, while her practice also resonates with twentieth-century modernist and postmodernist painting through its engagement with the transformation of form, the metaphysics of the image, and painting as a process of becoming.
Selamawit's painterly language is built on a principle of continuity. Human figures, plants, foliage, and background form a single field without rigid boundaries or hierarchies. The leaf becomes the primary form and the elementary unit of the image: a brushstroke, a body, and a sign of memory and time.
Through repetition and layering, it constructs a dense visual environment in which human figures do not stand apart from nature, but exist within it.
In Selamawit's work, the leaf is connected not only to human nature, but also to the question of time.
It reflects the cyclical nature of this process, as well as its phantom-like quality and fragility. The artist came to professional artistic practice relatively late, and through this image she reflects on whether a human being is given enough time to realize their ideas and talents.
Selamawit does not turn to any specific leaf associated with a particular country, landscape, or botanical species. On the contrary, in her painting the leaf acquires a universal character and becomes a sign open to multiple readings. Likewise, the people depicted in her works are stripped of individual features: they are anonymous and generalized, and therefore come closer to the viewer, allowing one to see in them not specific characters, but the human condition as such.
1 000 €
Selamawit's painterly language is built on a principle of continuity. Human figures, plants, foliage, and background form a single field without rigid boundaries or hierarchies. The leaf becomes the primary form and the elementary unit of the image: a brushstroke, a body, and a sign of memory and time.
Through repetition and layering, it constructs a dense visual environment in which human figures do not stand apart from nature, but exist within it.
In Selamawit's work, the leaf is connected not only to human nature, but also to the question of time.
It reflects the cyclical nature of this process, as well as its phantom-like quality and fragility. The artist came to professional artistic practice relatively late, and through this image she reflects on whether a human being is given enough time to realize their ideas and talents.
Selamawit does not turn to any specific leaf associated with a particular country, landscape, or botanical species. On the contrary, in her painting the leaf acquires a universal character and becomes a sign open to multiple readings. Likewise, the people depicted in her works are stripped of individual features: they are anonymous and generalized, and therefore come closer to the viewer, allowing one to see in them not specific characters, but the human condition as such.
1 000 €
Mulenga J Mulenga
Interdisciplinary artist from Lusaka, Zambia, and participant in Dak’Art and international exhibitions. Her work presents the female body not as an idealized or conventional image of beauty, but as something living and powerful. Working across visual and performative practices, Mulenga explores identity, gender, sexuality, and the fragile relationship between humans and nature, often drawing on African spirituality and historical context.
Interdisciplinary artist from Lusaka, Zambia, and participant in Dak’Art and international exhibitions. Her work presents the female body not as an idealized or conventional image of beauty, but as something living and powerful. Working across visual and performative practices, Mulenga explores identity, gender, sexuality, and the fragile relationship between humans and nature, often drawing on African spirituality and historical context.
Zambia
"Likishi IV"
20x34
Canvas, mixed media
500 €
20x34
Canvas, mixed media
500 €
Zambia
"Treasured"
30x40
Canvas, mixed media
750 €
30x40
Canvas, mixed media
750 €
Brave warriors is a body of work I created to celebrate the women who have breast cancer or had it. It’s not commonly discussed and a lot of victims face the shame of losing parts of their bodies that identify themselves as female/ women. It’s the echo of silence experienced and felt when one woman is lost with the disease. It’s partly part of the NaMayo series although the NaMayo is more focused on postpartum experiences.
Zambia
"Brave Warrior"
35x50
Charcoal and copper leaf on cardboard
800 €
35x50
Charcoal and copper leaf on cardboard
800 €
Zambia
"Brave Warrior"
35x50
Charcoal and copper leaf on cardboard
800 €
35x50
Charcoal and copper leaf on cardboard
800 €
Onyinye Ezennia
Nigeria
"Veiled Essence"
50x60
Mixed Media
50x60
Mixed Media
Her work draws from personal experience and cultural heritage, weaving stories of women and children about struggle, resilience and strength.
Using threads and nails, Onyinye shows how vulnerability and power can coexist, creating moving and powerful images. Each piece inspires reflection on our shared human experience and the importance of supporting one another
2 200 €
Using threads and nails, Onyinye shows how vulnerability and power can coexist, creating moving and powerful images. Each piece inspires reflection on our shared human experience and the importance of supporting one another
2 200 €
Natasha Evans
Zambia
"Heart"
24x32
Mixed Media on cardboard
24x32
Mixed Media on cardboard
Born in 1978 in Mutare, Zimbabwe, Natasha lives and works in Lusaka, Zambia. Having moved to Zambia at the age of eight—the country of her parents’ birth—her practice is shaped by layered geographies and inherited landscapes. Questions of belonging, memory, and surface quietly underpin her work.
Working within a Southern African context, Natasha’s layered compositions can be read as quiet negotiations with postcolonial geography: territories marked, rewritten, and reimagined. Surface operates as a landscape — scarred, repaired, accumulated — reflecting the complexities of cultural inheritance and spatial belonging.
Her mark-making and figurative line carries an intimate, bodily presence. Repetition, rhythm, and subtle gesture introduce a feminine sensibility that resists monumentality, instead privileging touch, tactility, and slow looking. The work unfolds gradually, revealing traces rather than declarations.
Her practice continues to explore how surface can hold memory — how material can speak where language falls short.
850 €
Working within a Southern African context, Natasha’s layered compositions can be read as quiet negotiations with postcolonial geography: territories marked, rewritten, and reimagined. Surface operates as a landscape — scarred, repaired, accumulated — reflecting the complexities of cultural inheritance and spatial belonging.
Her mark-making and figurative line carries an intimate, bodily presence. Repetition, rhythm, and subtle gesture introduce a feminine sensibility that resists monumentality, instead privileging touch, tactility, and slow looking. The work unfolds gradually, revealing traces rather than declarations.
Her practice continues to explore how surface can hold memory — how material can speak where language falls short.
850 €
Natasha Mwila
Zambia
"Red Rad"
A3, Digital art, print on paper
A3, Digital art, print on paper
Natasha Mwila is a digital artist from Lusaka, Zambia, whose work harmoniously blends the traditions of African heritage with contemporary artistic techniques. Inspired by social and political realities, Natasha strives to create visual narratives that unite cultures and encourage dialogue among viewers.
Natasha's journey into art began four years ago when she first experimented with creating paintings directly on her phone—initially just for herself. Over time, this hobby evolved into a true passion, and her talent was recognized and highly praised. Alongside her artistic pursuits, Natasha studies politics and international relations, which also influence her works.
Each of Natasha Mwila’s pieces is imbued with love for her homeland and deep respect for Zambia’s rich cultural traditions. Her artwork conveys a profound connection between people and their heritage, capturing the spirit and beauty of her native country. Natasha places special emphasis on depicting women—strong, courageous, and inspiring figures whose resilience and inner light transform the world around them
350 €
Natasha's journey into art began four years ago when she first experimented with creating paintings directly on her phone—initially just for herself. Over time, this hobby evolved into a true passion, and her talent was recognized and highly praised. Alongside her artistic pursuits, Natasha studies politics and international relations, which also influence her works.
Each of Natasha Mwila’s pieces is imbued with love for her homeland and deep respect for Zambia’s rich cultural traditions. Her artwork conveys a profound connection between people and their heritage, capturing the spirit and beauty of her native country. Natasha places special emphasis on depicting women—strong, courageous, and inspiring figures whose resilience and inner light transform the world around them
350 €
Senafkish Zeleke
Ethiopia
"Meskel"
Acrylic on canvas
400 €
Acrylic on canvas
400 €
Ribka Sisay
Ethiopia
"Self Reliance"
Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Born in Ethiopia in 1996, she lives and works in Addis Ababa.
Ribka Sisay is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose practice explores the complex intersections of the female experience, mental health, culture, and heritage. Working across diverse media—including photography, self-portraiture, weaving, and textile art—she creates expressive works shaped by the influence of architecture and historical narratives. Her art serves as a space where tradition meets contemporary artistic expression, inviting the viewer to reflect deeply on identity and memory.
800 €
Ribka Sisay is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose practice explores the complex intersections of the female experience, mental health, culture, and heritage. Working across diverse media—including photography, self-portraiture, weaving, and textile art—she creates expressive works shaped by the influence of architecture and historical narratives. Her art serves as a space where tradition meets contemporary artistic expression, inviting the viewer to reflect deeply on identity and memory.
800 €
Vetutekule Shikongo
"If sin was just a word"
Digital art print on canvas
Digital art print on canvas
“What if love was holy and war was obscene?”
A white woman and a black woman lie side by side, wrapped in Oshiwambo cloth. Their fingers touch softly while smoke rises from a clay pot beside them. The air feels calm but heavy, filled with unspoken words. It is the silence that comes from rules they never agreed to follow.
This piece explores the tenderness of forbidden love and questions why women must keep defending love that already feels pure. The clay pot symbolises cleansing, while the smoke represents what society calls sin leaving the body. It is about intimacy that exists without apology, where two souls meet beyond skin.
600 €
A white woman and a black woman lie side by side, wrapped in Oshiwambo cloth. Their fingers touch softly while smoke rises from a clay pot beside them. The air feels calm but heavy, filled with unspoken words. It is the silence that comes from rules they never agreed to follow.
This piece explores the tenderness of forbidden love and questions why women must keep defending love that already feels pure. The clay pot symbolises cleansing, while the smoke represents what society calls sin leaving the body. It is about intimacy that exists without apology, where two souls meet beyond skin.
600 €
"Milk and cigarettes"
Digital art print on canvas
Digital art print on canvas
“We can heal each other and fill each other. We can break these walls between each other.”
Two Ovambo women sit at a wooden table, one pouring Oshikundu (a traditional oshiwambo drink) while the other lights a cigarette. Between them lies a small child’s shoe, forgotten but full of memory. They speak about love, loss, and the parts of themselves they had to hide. There is no sadness in their faces, only peace that comes from truth.
This piece celebrates women who dare to be soft even after being told to be strong. It talks about motherhood, pleasure, and the beauty of imperfection. The shoe symbolises life that keeps moving forward, while the smoke shows stories that drift and fade but never disappear.
600 €
Two Ovambo women sit at a wooden table, one pouring Oshikundu (a traditional oshiwambo drink) while the other lights a cigarette. Between them lies a small child’s shoe, forgotten but full of memory. They speak about love, loss, and the parts of themselves they had to hide. There is no sadness in their faces, only peace that comes from truth.
This piece celebrates women who dare to be soft even after being told to be strong. It talks about motherhood, pleasure, and the beauty of imperfection. The shoe symbolises life that keeps moving forward, while the smoke shows stories that drift and fade but never disappear.
600 €