James Webb wins the Absa l'Atelier awardby Tavish McIntosh
The 2008 Absa l'Atelier prize was awarded to sound artist James Webb for his work Auto Hagiography that was first displayed at the Michael Stevenson in 'Afterlife' in 2006.
The work reflects Webb's interest in the psychological impact of sound. Speakers are lodged into the black leather of chaise longue. These are only really audible when one reclines at ease on the chaise longue, imitating the posture of either the reclining patient of psycho-analysis or the reclining nude, subject for gaze of the masterful artist. The speakers - reinforcing the psycho-sexual politics - play recordings of hours of past-life hypnotic regression that the artist underwent. As one slowly relaxes into the chaise longue, the low steady voice of the artist lulls one with tales of improbable past lives. For Webb, this is a 'supernatural, sonic self-portrait'.
'In the quiet confines of the hypnotherapist's office, I would lie on a couch and slowly drift under to the measured pace of a guided meditation. After a while I felt like I was entering a dream space where I would see images as if watching a movie. Like in dreams, everything made some sort of sense and I was aware and confident in the internal world I inhabited. I knew more or less who I was and I had an inkling of what I was doing there. With long pauses to take in the scenes, I described, aloud, the things I saw. Naturally, this process of translating what I saw into words is a subjective and partial one. When you hear me say, "I am a young girl. I bite my fingernails. It's a very cold morning and I'm on my way to school", you don't sense the billowing vapours coming from the steam engine as I wait on the platform. Or see my wet dress and frayed mittens. The spoken words now serve to ignite the listener's own imagination. After each session, lasting up to two hours, I would awake exhausted.'
The prize - for a piece that is undoubtably one of the most intriguing South African artists have produced in recent years - comprises a sojourn in Paris to stay at the Cité Internationale des Arts for six months, as well as R110 000, and free access to galleries and museums in Paris.
The Gerard Sekoto award for the most promising artist was won by Retha Ferguson of Pretoria for her photographic print Dissolved Course. This award - sponsored by the French Embassy, the French Institute and the Alliance Française - will give her the chance to spend three months at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. This prize has a total value of R80 000 which includes accommodation and free access to galleries and museums.
Cecile Loedolff, Absa art curator, said: 'This year's works are immensely labour-intensive, meticulous and definitely time-consuming. The repetitive, almost compulsive nature of so many of the pieces interested the judges. The use of colour was more noticeable this year, belying the sombre nature of the overall themes. Even in the works that on the surface appear bright and joyous, a closer inspection will reveal the symbols of danger and betrayal'.
The 2007 winners of the Absa l'Atelier and Gerard Sekoto awards were Pierre Fouché and Nina Barnett respectively. In 2006 the awards went to Ruth Sacks and Nomusa Makhubu respectively (the latter is currently holding an exhibition at the Alliance Française in Cape Town).
