In South Africa’s NIROX Sculpture Park, Art Reigns Supreme

Just forty-five minutes outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, NIROX Foundation Trust is an artists’ sanctuary located within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site, where the world’s first human fossils were found.

The non-profit trust is located on a sprawling 47,000 hectares of wilderness that devotes its 15 hectares of land to cultivating the arts.

What was once a commercial farm for breeding fish now boasts art studios, workshops, a sculpture park, outdoor concert venues, and artist residencies, where artists can live for free, producing work and connecting to the art community.

Charismatic director Benji Liebmann has developed the space over the last ten years, carefully selecting relevant artists to join the site and cultivating the outdoor sculpture garden. At the moment, two artists are in residence: Motaz Nasr from Egypt and Sean Blem from Switzerland.

Each year, NIROX presents two outdoor sculpture exhibitions and for each, Benji selects a new curator.

The artist residency is independent from the sculpture park– the resident artists can show works, if the curator decides it is a good fit.

Over twenty gardeners help maintain the space, keeping it splendid and beautiful for all the visitors to come.