Shayne Robinson’s daily vlogs: Art comes to life as 2017 Absa L’Atelier winners announced
JOHANNESBURG – Maral Bolouri, a previous 2015 L'Atelier Top 100 finalist, won the overall award for her installation Mothers and Others, a multi-sensory, interactive installation that investigates representations of women in African oral traditions.
African art was literally brought to life when several seemingly normal artworks lining the entrance of the Absa Gallery came alive with subtle human movement as guests entered the venue of this year’s prestigious Absa L’Atelier Art Awards.
The ceremony that followed reflected the idea of giving art a platform to thrive as the 2017 L’Atelier winners were announced. Maral Bolouri of Kenya took top honours and received the top award while Banele Khoza of South Africa walked away with the Gerard Sekoto Award.
Also read: 2015 Atelier Merit Award winner, Gideon Appah exhibit is on at Absa Gallery
This is the 32nd instalment of the L’Atelier Awards showcasing the best young artists on the African continent. The collaboration between sponsors Absa and the South African National Association for the Visual Arts brings together young and emerging artists from 10 African countries, namely South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, Seychelles and Mozambique.
Khoza has also been a top 100 finalist in two previous L’Atelier competitions, in 2015 and last year, and this year was awarded the Gerard Sekoto Award for the South African artist who has demonstrated continual improvement in the quality of their entry year-on-year in the L’Atelier.
He won the award for his work Note Making, which comprises a series of digital drawings printed with an inkjet printer. With this work, Khoza questions representations of what it is to be a male in South Africa and within the broader social context.
Dr Paul Bayliss, Absa Art and Museum curator, said the response from artists in the participating countries was very positive, demonstrating that up-and-coming African artists realise the value L’Atelier adds to their careers.
“It’s so encouraging to see Africa’s young artists making the most of the opportunities that are being created to support and help grow their careers. It’s important not only that artists take advantage of these opportunities, but that they put their best works forward when doing it.
“I’m proud to say that this year’s participants didn’t disappoint and we were treated to exceptional quality works. This bodes well for the future of contemporary African visual art,” said Bayliss.
The top 10 finalists are also placed on a two-day art professionalism course to assist them in managing their careers.
Read: New art to be seen at Absa Gallery
Professional and self-taught young, emerging artists from the 10 participating African countries will once again be invited to maximise these valuable opportunities in next year’s edition of the Absa L’Atelier competition, which will continue this year’s creative idea under the overarching theme Give art life.
Entries open in February next year.
Members of the public can view the top 100 best artworks from this year’s Absa L’Atelier at the official L’Atelier exhibition, running from 14 September to 27 October at the Absa Gallery.
Edited by Stacey Woensdregt
