Absa L'Atelier Awards announce
Absa last week announced winners of the annual L'Atelier Awards. The 'richest and most prestigious art award in Africa' was won by the 30-year old Pierre Fouché of Cape Town. His prize gives him six months' stay at the prestigious Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. Included in the prize are his airfare, R100 000 and a free pass to most galleries and museums in the city.
The Gerard Sekoto award for the most promising artist has been scooped by Nina Barnett of Johannesburg. This award - sponsored by the French Embassy, the French Institute and the Alliance Française - gives her the chance to spend three months at the Cité Internationale des Arts. This prize has a total value of R80 000.
In addition, four Merit Award winners walk away with R20 000 each: Nina Barnett, Johannesburg; Wayne Matthews, Port Elizabeth; Lyndi Sales, Bellville, and Jaco Spies, Bloemfontein. All of the top ten artists receive R1000 in cash as well. The numbers are made up by Lynette Bester, Belville; Lothar Böttcher, Pretoria;
Rikus Ferreira, Belville; Sarel Jansen van Rensburg, Pretoria, and Marlise Keith, Bellville
This year, Absa also decided to award a special incentive prize of R1000 for the entry of an artist from an isolated community in Venda. With his woodcarving portraying imminent disaster, Rendani Mudau applied a traditional art form to create a really unique work. Absa also wished to acknowledge Avashone Mainganye's splendid work as an art teacher and mentor in the isolated Venda communities, and he too receives R1000.
