We’ve come a long way since our humble

beginnings in Johannesburg in 1987,

but we’ve never forgotten our roots.

Our global art initiative, which sources art

from the creative hub that is South Africa,

is a beautiful and constant reminder of

where we come from.

But, there’s more to it than that.

When we started the art initiative in 2002, we wanted to create something unique. Something beautiful and meaningful to everyone involved. We could have bought off-the-shelf décor and settled for being just another chain rolling out cloned restaurants around the world. But, we believe that beautiful, authentic artworks make a much bigger impact.

By offering artists the opportunity to make work for us, our art initiative has changed lives and made a real difference to artists and their families; showcasing their work all over the world.

The artworks create remarkable in-store experiences - beautiful spaces - encouraging our customers and Nandocas to stay a while longer and visit more often. Our brand comes alive in a way that crosses social and cultural boundaries, and let's not forget the bottom line - quality art is a savvy investment that appreciates over time.

Because we’re best at cooking

flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken and not

at sourcing art, we’ve partnered with

the Jeanetta Blignaut Art Consultancy.

The consultancy has established a

number of programmes to source

quality art and to develop the careers

of talented artists.

Instead of working with just one art genre, our projects include the work of both established and emerging artists, across many genres. Some of the projects are:

- The Creative Block- The Nando’s Art Society- The Chicken Run- Qubeka Bead Artists- Spier Architectural Arts & The Spier Arts Academy - The Creative Exchange.

Let’s take a closer look.

Every month, invited artists are given 18cm x 18cm blocks which they can transform however they choose. The standards are really high, but if their work is chosen, they get paid cash immediately.

The upshot? A collection of diverse artworks similar only in size - each block reflects a unique artistic experience and style. Together, the Creative Blocks display something magical.

Five South African artists were chosen to travel to London to learn more about Nando’s. On their return home, the artists created works that reflected their experi-ences and these works now form part of the Nando’s Collection.

Dion Cupido – an artist participating in The Creative Block – was one of the five. Since then, he has had sell-out exhibitions and even Beyoncé has bought his work!

268 artists are behind the art collection housed in our restaurants.

To help artists focus on their art full-time,

five mid-career artists from the Creative

Block were chosen to submit medium to

large artworks on a regular basis at a set fee

per canvas.

The result? The creation of artworks which

are affordable for our restaurants and mean

financial security for the artists.

Ricky Dyaloyi loved art and practiced his craft from an early age, but he wasn’t always one of South Africa’s established painters. Through the Creative Block and the Nando’s Art Society, he has been able to make art his full-time career and today, he is represented by the prestigious Everard Read Gallery in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

150 artists are involved in the Creative Block Project.

Within the art world, the Chicken Run is a truly unorthodox, high energy event. Every month, Jeanetta and her team travel far and wide, visiting studios in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, in a whistle-stop search for great work. Quality art is bought on the spot, meaning immediate income for artists, and an incentive to keep producing fresh and exciting work for Nando’s!

Thanks to the Chicken Run, artist Lindile Nagunya has been able to add another story to his home in the Khayelitsha township of Cape Town. His young family are no longer living in cramped conditions and Lindile is able to continue focusing on his art.

2 tons is the weight of our largest 3m x 18m artwork – a mosaic called Coming to the City installed at King’s Cross in London.

Paintings aren’t the only form of art

that we enjoy. Materials like beads are

transformed into striking pieces by the

Qubeka Bead Artists. Collaboration is

the name of the game - as the intricacy

and large scale of the pieces require the

team effort of skilled bead specialists,

working in partnership with fine artists.

Owned entirely by the bead artists themselves, Qubeka has – thanks to Nando’s support – become a self-sufficient and lucrative business. Neliswa Skiti, Nolubabalu Kanku and Mandisa Masina head up the studio, having originally come together in 2004.

24 is the number of countries in which our artworks are displayed.

Based in Cape Town, Spier Architectural Arts produces signature artworks at an architectural scale, while the Art Academy offers around 30 talented artists a three year full-time appren-ticeship. Focusing on teaching profes-sional mosaic skills, this course – which has hundreds of applicants each year – also includes tuition in Business Skills, Mosaic Theory and Art History.

Spier Architectural Arts and the Academy have received many, many awards for their work, including the prestigious British Mosaic of the Year Award for Coming to the City at Nando's Kings Cross. Academy graduates have continued their creative careers - Miranda Vinjwa and Zoleka Xekethwana created the micro- mosaics for Construct; a wearable art piece nominated as Most BeautifulObject in South Africa at the Design Indaba Expo 2014.

5 000 unique pieces of original South African art make up our collection!

This exciting programme gives emerging artists the chance to showcase their work in their first solo shows. Two to three artists a year are given financial support, mentorship and exhibition opportunities. Besides developing their skills, the exhibitions give them great exposure and help them become full-time artists. In exchange, Nando’s buys artworks from their exhibitions at an agreed value.

Thanks to the Creative Exchange, Maurice Mbikayi has had four international exhibitions. He was shortlisted for the Celeste Prize in New York, enjoyed an exchange programme in Switzerland, followed by a solo exhibition in New York, and also visited Ethiopia where he took part in the Artist Residency Programme.

Besides sourcing art for Nando’s, Jeanetta

Blignaut Art Consultancy does a whole lot

more. It manages our extensive collection

by looking after supply chain, doing

research and development, and taking care

of sales and admin. So whether it’s project

planning or helping an artist, doing

framing, restoring or cataloguing a piece,

the Consultancy does it all.

Our art initiative is about so much more than decorating our restaurants - it's about the value that lies in creating beautiful spaces. By showing unique works of art in our restaurants, we make every Nando’s Casa special for both our Nandocas and our customers. Places where people want to stay a while longer. Places that add meaning - both to viewers and creators of the artworks. We reckon that’s soul food.

Bom Proveito!