In a significant recognition of experimental and cross-disciplinary artistic practice, SAVVY Contemporary has announced Cameroonian artist Tanka Fonta as the recipient of the 2026 Wi Di Mimba Wi Prize. The biennial award, established in 2021 in partnership with AKB Stiftung, grants Fonta €30,000 alongside additional funding for the production of a new artwork and curatorial support over the course of a year. The prize continues its mission to support artists of colour based in Germany, offering not just financial backing but a sustained platform for artistic development and critical engagement.
Born in Buea, Cameroon, Fonta’s expansive practice traverses visual art, composition, poetry, writing, and philosophy. His work—often described as a sensory and conceptual exploration of the psychology of perception—has been presented internationally at major institutions including the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Kunstverein Hannover, Goodman Gallery, and the Goethe-Institut in Yaoundé. Across these contexts, Fonta has built a reputation for creating immersive works that merge sound, image, and text into fluid, ever-evolving compositions.
Selected from a strong shortlist that included Jessica Ekomane, Nnenna Onuoha, Lerato Shadi, and Sarnt Utamachote, Fonta was chosen by a distinguished jury comprising Alya Sebti, Antje Majewski, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Mirjami Schuppert, and Lynhan Balatbat-Helbock. In a collective statement, the jury praised Fonta’s “compelling oeuvre developed over four decades,” noting how his works “unfold as a field of vibrations, where image, sound, and poetic gestures… carry living and ancestral memory.” They emphasized the openness of his compositions—works that resist fixed interpretation and instead remain in flux, inviting audiences into a shared space of perception and reflection.
The Wi Di Mimba Wi Prize—whose name draws from Cameroonian Pidgin, loosely translating to “We are together”—has quickly positioned itself as a vital intervention within Europe’s cultural landscape. By prioritizing long-term support over one-off recognition, the initiative foregrounds process, research, and experimentation. Fonta’s selection as the third recipient underscores the prize’s commitment to practices that challenge conventional boundaries of art-making while fostering dialogue across cultures and histories.
Responding to the award, Fonta described the recognition as “a profound gesture” that opens “portals and apertures with the possibilities of a new awakening.” He reflected on the prize as an opportunity not only for personal transformation but for contributing to a broader cultural discourse rooted in creativity and shared human experience. “It offers a chance for the shaping of a new creative world,” he noted, “in which our human spirit of creativity remains foundational to the wider discourse of existence.”
The announcement will be marked with a celebratory gathering in Berlin, bringing together artists, curators, and audiences for an evening of conversation and reflection on listening practices, artistic inquiry, and the evolving role of art in society. The event also coincides with a symbolic milestone in Fonta’s career—four decades of sustained exploration into humanity, perception, and creation.
As the art world continues to grapple with questions of representation, equity, and the future of cultural production, Fonta’s recognition signals a powerful affirmation of deeply rooted, intellectually rigorous, and sensorially expansive practices. Through the support of SAVVY Contemporary and AKB Stiftung, the 2026 Wi Di Mimba Wi Prize not only honors an individual artist but reinforces a broader commitment to building inclusive, forward-looking artistic ecosystems.
