NOoSPHERE Arts 2023 Residency Award | Faith XLVII

Like an engine of perpetual motion, our partner NOoSPHERE Arts never rests - always creating and promoting the talents of artists from around the world! Broadway Stages is proud to congratulate the winner of this year’s NOoSPHERE Arts’ Residency Award @MothershipNYC: Faith XLVII, a multidisciplinary street artist from South Africa!

On Thursday, August 24, our Kingsland Wildflowers’ partner NOoSPHERE Arts will present the winner of this year’s NOoSPHERE Arts’ Residency Award @ MothershipNYC at Last Frontier NYC.  This year’s awardee is Faith XLVII (or Faith47), a multidisciplinary street artist from South Africa.

Selected by a committee of arts professionals spanning multiple continents, Faith XLVII will discuss her residency project: PRIMA MATERIA / LEVESCERE.  Faith 47’s Levescere series explores the relationship of words and phrases within physical environments.

Mass Appeal magazine called her work “A rare incantation of both the earthly and the transcendent.” The art blog Booooooom said, “Transformative work... concerned with the valuation and transformation of things that have been lost or overlooked.” And the website Supersonic Art commented, “Deeply profound visions existing as physical aesthetic gifts for other viewers.” 

A self-taught artist, born Liberty Du in Cape Town, South Africa, her journey into art began on the streets in 1997. As a young graffiti writer, she took on the name Faith XLVII. Today, she is known as one of the world’s most prominent female street artists.

Since 2006, she has developed a multidisciplinary artistic practice. Her work often speaks to issues of injustice, poverty, inequality, and female empowerment. Her evolution from street artist to multidisciplinary artist has created a fluid yet solid bridge into the contemporary art world. This explorative approach has led her to develop a broad range of artwork. Ranging from immersive new media installations and hand-sewn wall tapestries to sculptural bronze works investigating hierarchies of power, paintings, and various explorations into printmaking.

The thread of Faith XLVII’s practice can be traced from abandoned structures and landmark 20-story buildings to museums and galleries all the way through to intimate site-specific installations.

The 2023 awardee’s residency project will be revealed at Mothership’s Artist Salon at Last Frontier NYC, 520 Kingsland Avenue, Greenpoint on Thursday, August 24, from 7pm until late as part of the following line-up:

● Artist talk by Faith 47 (South Africa)

● Clown provocateur Anna Thomson (Australia) on the roofs

● A second live painting performance by Michel Platnic (France/Israel) and his team of local painters

● Solo act by singing cellist and visual artist Syngja (Canada) against a backdrop of animations.

There is no cover charge but do bring some cash to make it rain on our talent — tipping the artist is part of the fun! Also, delicious herbal concoctions by Crystal Drip Elixirs will be on hand!

Be sure to attend what promises to be a night to remember. Nobody puts on a party and a show like our friends at NOoSPHERE Arts! And Faith XLVII is not an artist to be missed. Don’t forget to tell them that Broadway Stages sent you!