GreatJoy sponsors lead artwork to support the Institute for Healing of Memories’ social healing mission

Internationally acclaimed artist GreatJoy Ndlovu has donated a headline artwork to the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM) to raise funds for its trauma-healing programmes.

The piece will lead IHOM’s Fundraising Art Auction& Dinner on 13 November 2025 in Johannesburg, along with pieces donated by corporates, including MTN, among others. GreatJoy, known for his powerful depictions of resilience, compassion, and the human condition, says the headline piece that he’s working on aims to confront hidden narratives and inspire empathy.

He says, “The work of the Institute for Healing of Memories is deeply personal to me, because I believe that every person, in some way, carries wounds that need healing. My art reflects the hidden narratives we often overlook: the silent struggles, the resilience, and the hope that lives within our communities.

''By donating this piece, I am not just giving a painting, but offering a mirror where people can confront pain, see compassion and begin to imagine the possibility renewal.”

''Working with the Institute for Healing of Memories allows my art to extend beyond the canvas and become part of a much greater story, one that is about healing, reconciliation, and building bridges across painful divides.

Art has the power to transform empty walls into vessels of meaning, to spark conversations that words alone cannot carry, and to inspire empathy where silence has lingered. My hope is that this piece not only helps raise the vital resources IHOM needs but also serves as a reminder that beauty and healing can emerge even from brokenness.”

GreatJoy notes, “Healing is not a luxury or optional; it is necessary for every society that seeks to grow in compassion and justice. I believe art must play its part in this journey. My contribution to IHOM is a small step in reminding us that we each have a role to play in mending the scars of our history and shaping a future rooted in empathy.

When we come together — artists, institutions, leaders, and communities — we are able to create not just moments of beauty, but movements of change.” IHOM, founded in 1998 by Father Michael Lapsley, helps individuals and communities address the emotional scars left by oppression, violence, and inequality.

Father Michael’s story embodies the mission that the institution seeks to advance in building a more peaceful, just, and compassionate community and leadership in South Africa.  

At the height of the apartheid struggle, the Anglican priest Father Michael was a target of the apartheid regime.

He received a letter bomb in the post, an attack that was meant to silence him,but instead took away his hands and the sight in one eye.

However, instead of being discouraged by the experience. On recovery, he was even more determined to work on healing and forgiveness His experience sparked a redemptive journey that led him to establish the IHOM to help heal trauma scars it leaves behind on both the oppressed and the oppressor.  

“The IHOM creates spaces for people to share stories, acknowledge pain, and begin their healing,” Lapsley said. “The support we are receiving from corporates with donations of art pieces and GreatJoy’s generous contribution is an expression that this work remains fundamental to our communities and art can be a powerful tool to support programmes of this nature that cannot independently generate income.

''This work requires collaborative involvement and support, as it impacts our social interactions and leadership broadly speaking.”

While the work of the IHOM remains relevant and important today, reaching more than half a million South Africans, with its methodology replicated in over 25 countries, as with many non-profit organisations, limited funding continues to threaten the IHOM’s ability to expand its work towards efforts to build compassionate communities and leadership rooted in empathy and restorative justice.

The Fundraising Art Auction & Dinner will feature Cardinal Stephen Brislin as the event’s guest speaker alongside contributions from leading artists and corporates.

The event is open to individuals, corporates, leaders, philanthropists, and partners who would like to support and back IHOM’s mission of peace, social and economic justice, and reconciliation.

IHOM continues to make calls to individuals and organisations to support the initiative by attending, sponsoring, or donating art pieces directly to its programmes.  

For more information contact [email protected]