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Blessing Ntsikelelo Blaai

@khanblaai

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Visual Artist and Muralist.
Available for commissions and collaborations.
[email protected]

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Meet Blessing Blaai, exhibiting with us at 1-54 London, Booth S14.

Born in 1994, the year of South Africa’s democracy, Blessing grew up in Troyeville on the edge of the Johannesburg CBD, and the city’s geometry runs through everything he makes. Trained at 32 Flavours Art Studio and Artist Proof Studio, he paints in flat planes of bright colour, cut by the straight lines of tape, and plays above all with light: the way sun or moonlight falls through a broken window into an empty building.

His new works at 1-54, including Lonwabo’s Interlude and Game Shop, continue his story of Johannesburg’s CBD and Troyeville, from rooms and shops to panoramic views of the city. Small shadowy figures move through these vast spaces, symbols of souls, so that anyone can place themselves inside the work.

Represented by Gallery MOMO. See his work at Somerset House, Booth S14, until 18 October, presented with Nando’s.

Lonwabo’s Interlude, 2026. Acrylic paint on canvas Game Shop, 2026. Acrylic paint on canvas

@khanblaai @gallerymomo @154artfair @nandosuk #154London #SpierArtsTrust #SouthAfricanArt taken in Somerset House by @khanblaai

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a day ago

Gallery MOMO is pleased to announce our debut presentation at Atlanta Art Fair 2026, taking place at Pullman Yards’ Porter Hall from 1–4 October.

Visit us at Booth G11 to discover works by Fhatuwani Mukheli and Blessing Blaai, two artists whose practices engage with questions of identity, memory, place and contemporary experience.

We look forward to welcoming you!

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Featured Artworks:

Fhatuwani Mukheli
A Study of Freedom, 2026
Oil on canvas
100cm x 100cm (4 Panels)

Blessing Blaai
Surmount, 2026
Mixed media on canvas
151cm x 131cm

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#AtlantaArtFair #AfricanContemporaryArt #GalleryMOMO
@atlartfair @artmarketproductions by @khanblaai

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19 days ago

Gallery MOMO is pleased to present Surrogate Emotions, the debut solo exhibition by Blessing Blaai.

In Surrogate Emotions, Blaai examines the construction and mediation of feeling, considering how memory, environment, and representation converge to create emotional surrogates that stand in for lived experience.

Working across painting and mixed media, he continues his exploration of figuration as a site of psychological and social inquiry, where layered, fragmented compositions give form to complex interior states.

Join us for the opening:

Saturday, 22 August 2026
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Gallery MOMO
52 7th Avenue, Parktown North, Johannesburg by @khanblaai

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In the studio with Blessing Blaai, painting Johannesburg in flat planes of colour and the clean lines of tape.

See Lonwabo’s Interlude, Game Shop and more at 1-54 London, Somerset House, Booth S14, until 18 October, presented with Nando’s.

Filmed for Creative Block: Making a Mark, celebrating 23 years of our Creative Block programme.

@khanblaai @gallerymomo @154artfair @nandosuk #154London #CreativeBlock #SpierArtsTrust #SouthAfricanArt by @khanblaai

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Beyond the artwork lies a story waiting to be understood.

📍 9 Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA, United Kingdom

🗓️ Public and VIP Opening:
Friday 16 October, 11 am - 7 pm
Saturday 17 October, 11 am - 7 pm
Sunday 18 October, 11 am - 6 pm

#154artfair #contemporaryafricanart #blessingblaai #exhibition #visualartist taken in 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair by @khanblaai

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2 days ago

Surrogate Emotions is more than a collection of works, it is an exploration of what happens when emotions find a surrogate. Beneath every piece lies a deeper narrative shaped by memory, experience, and the complexities of human connection.

This coming Saturday (10/10/26), I look forward to taking you deeper into the world behind the work, sharing the journey, process, and reflections that informed its creation. What you see on the surface is only the beginning. Each artwork carries fragments of a larger story, one that speaks to the ways we carry, transfer, conceal, and express emotion.

I’m excited to open up this conversation and invite you into the thoughts, questions, and experiences that shaped Surrogate Emotions. The art is only the beginning, the story behind it is what brings it to life.

Saturday: 10/10/26
Time: 11:00AM - 13:00PM
📍: @gallerymomo

#walkabout #soloshow #blessingblaai #surrogateemotions #gallerymomo taken in Gallery MOMO by @khanblaai

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Join us this coming Saturday, 10 October 2026, for an artist-led walkabout with Blessing Blaai, as he takes us through his current exhibition, Surrogate Emotions.

Blaai will be joined in conversation by artist Vivien Kohler, offering an engaging dialogue around the ideas, processes and visual language that shape the exhibition. Together, they will explore the relationship between the physical and spiritual, while considering Blaai’s recurring use of buildings, interiors and architectural spaces as sites of memory, emotion and human experience. The conversation will also unpack the role of light, geometry, shifting forms and architectural structures in shaping the atmosphere and emotional tension within his paintings, and how these elements extend beyond representation to become a language through which space, perception and feeling are constructed.

Join us at Gallery MOMO for an intimate encounter with the artist and a deeper exploration of the ideas and processes behind Surrogate Emotions.

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Reminder: The walkabout will begin at 11:30 AM and run until 12:30 PM

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Time: 11AM till 1PM

Date: 10 October 2026

Location: 52 7th Avenue, Parktown North, 2193, Johannesburg

#gallerymomo #artistwalkabout #contemporaryart #africancontemporaryart #joburg by @khanblaai

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10 days ago

LAST DAY IN ATLANTA!

Today is the final day of Atlanta Art Fair 2026, and there’s still time to experience our presentation of contemporary South African art.

Join us at Booth G11 to discover works by Fhatuwani Mukheli and Blessing Blaai, and find a work from some of the best South African artists to add to your collection.

Today, 4 October 2026
Pullman Yards, Atlanta
Gallery MOMO — Booth G11

Last chance to visit. Last chance to collect.
DM US For enquiries and acquisitions.
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Featured artworks:

1. Blessing Blaai
Piano Blues, 2025
Mixed Media (Oil and Acrylic) on Canvas
122 × 92 cm

2. Blessing Blaai
V.O.T.S.O.D, 2025
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
93 × 88 cm

3. Blessing Blaai
Surmount, 2026
Mixed Media (Oil and Acrylic) on Canvas
151 × 131 cm

#AtlantaArtFair #AtlantaArt #SouthAfricanArt #blessingblaai #artcollector taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @khanblaai

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13 days ago

Gallery MOMO invites you to join us on 10 October 2026 for an artist-led walkabout with Blessing Blaai, as he reflects on the ideas, processes and visual language underpinning his debut exhibition, Surrogate Emotions.

The walkabout offers an opportunity to engage more closely with Blaai’s exploration of emotion, memory, space and the relationship between the physical and spiritual as he takes us through the exhibition and offers insight into the works currently on show.

Please note: The walkabout will begin at 11:30 AM and run until 12:30 PM.

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Time: 11AM till 1PM
Date: 10 October 2026
Location: 52 7th Avenue, Parktown North, 2193, Johannesburg

#gallerymomo #artistwalkabout #contemporaryart #africancontemporaryart #joburg by @khanblaai

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15 days ago

WE ARE LIVE!!!

Atlanta, we’re here.

Gallery MOMO is officially open at the Atlanta Art Fair 2026, presenting works by Fhatuwani Mukheli and Blessing Blaai.

Come experience the presentation, meet the gallery team and discover the artists shaping contemporary conversations from South Africa and the African continent.

Booth G11 | Pullman Yards
1–4 October 2026

We’d love to see you.

#AtlantaArtFair #AtlantaArt #AtlantaCollectors #AtlantaArtCollectors taken in Pullman Yards by @khanblaai

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Surrogate Emotions explores the space between the physical and spiritual, the individual and collective. Through faceless figures, architectural forms and shifting fields of colour, Blessing Ntsikelelo Blaai considers emotion as something that can be carried, transferred and shared.

The figures are spirits and souls rather than specific individuals. Without facial features or fixed identities, they become vessels for memory, emotion and lived experience, allowing viewers to see themselves within the works. Rooted in Blaai’s encounters with Johannesburg’s urban spaces, the paintings bring together architecture, colour and human presence to reflect on the ways we inhabit, remember and carry the spaces and experiences around us.

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Featured Artwork:

Or more the anxious
2026
Acrylic on canvas
105cm x 120cm
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Surrogate Emotions a solo exhibition by Blessing Blaai is currently on view at Gallery MOMO Johannesburg.

Visiting Hours:
Monday to Friday- 9am to 5pm
Saturdays - 9am to 3pm
Sundays and Public Holidays- Closed
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#gallerymomo #africancontemporaryart #contemporaryart #joburg by @khanblaai

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22 days ago

𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁: 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗮𝗶

Blessing N. Blaai (B.1994, SA) is an artist whose roots in the suburban landscape of Troyeville have significantly shaped his creative journey. Initially honing his skills at 32 Flavors Art Studio, Blaai explored painting, drawing, and printmaking before furthering his practice at the ArtistProof Studio, Johannesburg, where he specialised in printmaking for three years.

His practice spans painting, watercolours, ink, and mixed media, alongside a strong presence as a muralist, with both public and private commissions. Blaai has participated in major mural projects, including city-commissioned artworks that transform urban spaces through art.

Blaai has shown work in notable group exhibitions such as 'African Mobilities: This Is Not a Refugee Camp' and has contributed to community initiatives, including leading visual arts activities at the Windybrow Theatre through the Market Foundation, providing creative outlets for children in and around Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

Title: 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Photo credit: Slide 2 @justjoshy
Photo credit: Slide 1; 3-6; 8-10 @nomgqiibelo

#ArtWireDiscover

Title: 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
Title: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘁 (𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲), 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Title: 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗡𝗼. 𝟰𝟳, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Title: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Title: 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗡𝗼. 𝟯𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Title: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Artist: 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗮𝗶

Title: 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Title: 𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Title: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘁 (𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲), 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 taken in South Africa by @khanblaai

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24 days ago