Lakwena designs striking poster for the 59th Montreux Jazz Festival

The Montreux Jazz Festival has today unveiled its official poster for the 59th edition, created by London-based artist Lakwena. Known for her bold use of colour and powerful typographic style, Lakwena joins the ranks of celebrated artists like Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, and Tomi Ungerer, who have previously crafted posters for this iconic Swiss event.

Set to take place next July, the Montreux Jazz Festival follows a tradition of inviting artists to design its poster, a practice that dates back to its founding in 1967.

London artist Lakwena’s creation is a vibrant, text-centric piece featuring the words, 'All You Can See is Glory'. Inspired by Nina Simone’s powerful 1976 performance of the song Stars at Montreux, the message is open to interpretation, resonating with the fleeting, bittersweet nature of fame. The performance, captured in the documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, has become one of the festival’s most legendary moments, where Simone’s raw, unfiltered presence left an indelible mark on the audience.

Reflecting on her design, Lakwena shares, "The glory is a nod to the Festival’s legacy, its legendary concerts, and the natural beauty surrounding it. But it’s also a reminder of the transient nature of fame. Glory can be fleeting, yet it’s still beautiful. There’s a grounding message there, contrasting with our culture’s obsession with fame.”

The poster, bursting with kaleidoscopic colours and hypnotic shapes, reflects Lakwena’s signature style, with her British and Ugandan heritage shining through. This is the first typographic poster in the festival’s history, a milestone that underscores Lakwena’s instinctive, self-taught approach to art. Her work, spanning murals, installations, and paintings, has been featured internationally and displayed in prominent institutions such as the Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre in London.

With this latest addition, the Montreux Jazz Festival’s poster legacy continues to celebrate creative freedom and iconic artistry, bridging music and visual culture in a way that remains distinctly Montreux.