#AfricanRenaissancePodcast On the relationship between gallery representation, reputation and the perceived value of an artist's work. Makamo explains that a gallery's commission is not only about a sale; it can also be understood as an endorsement that signals value to the market. This raises a difficult question for artists: how much of the price attached to their work reflects the work itself, and how much is shaped by the reputation of the institution or people associated with it? The conversation highlights the role that representation can play in the art market, while also raising questions about the power artists have to establish their value independently. Nelson Makamo: So, and then why do they take 50? It goes back to value. So there's a belief that, um, if I'm signed with so and so— ... I'll have value, and the, their 50% is them endorsing you as an artist.

#AfricanRenaissancePodcast On the long process of building a reputation as an artist—and why a career is not made by a single breakthrough. Makamo describes a journey that begins with developing a foundation and producing work good enough to attract attention. Recognition can then create opportunities for recruitment, exhibitions and the gradual building of an artistic profile. His account offers a useful perspective on the relationship between craft, visibility and professional growth. Rather than presenting success as an overnight achievement, he describes a process in which the quality of the work comes first, with opportunities and recognition developing along the way. Nelson Makamo: I think s- um, this applies to, to also us in the visual art. You have a foundation, then from that foundation it goes back to how good is your work. And then people start noticing. From there, not before people start noticing, people start recruiting you. From recruiting, you start doing exhibitions. From exhibitions, that's how you start building a profile.

#AfricanRenaissancePodcast On decolonising the art world and restoring the public's right to have an opinion about artistic expression. Makamo argues that ordinary people should not have to rely on the approval or vocabulary of recognised experts before they can engage with an artwork. His reflection raises a broader question about who shapes cultural standards, whose opinions are considered legitimate and whether art is accessible to the people whose lives and experiences can inform its meaning. Making space for ordinary people to interpret and respond to art is part of challenging the assumptions that determine who belongs in cultural spaces. Nelson Makamo: And then we, w- we had to, in the, in the political language, to decolonize that and allow ordinary people to also have an opinion when it comes to art.

#AfricanRenaissancePodcast On artistic materials, creative approaches and the different ways artists communicate. In discussing what distinguishes one artwork from another, Makamo refers to canvas, oil, watercolour, sculpture and bronze. The materials matter, but his explanation also draws a comparison with music, where different genres and methods of making music coexist. Just as music is not limited to one style or way of production, visual art can take many forms. His reflection encourages audiences to look beyond a single definition of what art should be and to consider the different creative choices through which artists develop their own practices. Nelson Makamo: Canvass. It's, it's oil, it's watercolor, it's sculptures, bronze. Um, yes, it matters or i- what materials you're using when... But I think later on, you also get to understand or, like, we use different ma- uh, materials as the artist I think it's the same as I'll say is the s- almost the same thing as when you look at music. You have someone who sing kwaito. You have someone who does classic music. The classic person who will do music traditionally or in a way that music, that they would say musically is done the right way. Then you have someone who would build a studio and, and start recording in their, in their bedroom, and then they will start releasing the music, they will say underground.