Ten semi-finalists for Sasol Wax Art Award 2008 announced
by Tavish McIntosh
Entries for the Sasol Wax Art Award 2008 reportedly poured in from artists throughout South Africa. The first round of judging has taken place and ten semi-finalists have been announced to go through to the next round. Selected semi-finalists are Avashone Mainganye, Paul Edmunds, Stephen Hobbs, Jan van der Merwe, Terry Kurgan, Brett Murray, Wilma Cruise, Tracey Rose, Hentie van der Merwe and Kevin Brand.
The Sasol Wax Art Award was launched in 2005 to reward professional artists for their contribution to innovation and excellence in the visual arts. While there are many competitions for young and emerging artists, few opportunities exist to recognise professional career artists in South Africa. Last year's finalists' work was shown across the country and the competition was eventually won by Walter Oltmann, who will be exhibiting this month at Goodman Gallery Cape.
This year, according to the organiser Carola Ross, 'We received many more entries than anticipated, given the strict criteria. It is also interesting to note a broader cross section of creative genres entered this year than in previous years. This is reflected in the high number of photographers, sculptors and printmakers who entered, amongst others. The diversity of the response from esteemed artists clearly indicates that we have filled a niche gap in the sector. There is no other award aimed exclusively at recognising professional artists with years of experience.'
The award is unlike the Spier Contemporary which looks to bring to light unrecognised artists from diverse backgrounds, or the PPC Sculpture award and the Standard Bank Young Artist which look for young talent, and the Mercedes Award which recognises only one artist and does not put out a call for entries but selects the winner internally.
Competitions are a good way to produce hype around the arts - just think of the Turner Award - and generate a higher profile for artists. It is therefore encouraging that sponsors like Sasol, Standard Bank and Spier continue to support these initiatives, giving artists opportunities for exposure and unconventional working methods, despite all the criticism that inevitably attends their selections. Perhaps it is lucky that South African competitions generally lack the hyper-celebrity profile and outrage that accompanies the infamous Turner Prize.
The ten semi-finalists selected now have a month to draft a proposal for a body of work that features wax as its main component, as either process, medium or concept. From these proposals, five artists will be commissioned to create works for exhibition, and one will stand in line to win the R130 000 purse which is sponsored by Sasol, the world's largest producer of wax. These five finalists will be announced on May 27.
