PPC SCULPTORS AWARDS

PPC Cement enhances the lives of young sculptors.

The talent and lives of six of South Africa’s promising young sculptors received a major boost when they shared the R75,000 prize money on offer at this year’s PPC Young Concrete Sculptors Awards, held at the Association of Arts in Pretoria.

The annual competition sponsored by PPC Cement for the past 16 years is fast becoming a must-enter competition for up-and-coming sculptors. The competition attracted 67 entries this year – more than double the number in the previous year.

The award for Best Sculpture on Exhibition went to Ruhan Janse van Vuuren for his work Act I, Scene II, while the award for Technical Excellence was won by Dorothea Nortjé for her work Memorial to the Entrapped Mind. Each of these artists received R25,000.

Runner up in the Best Sculpture on Exhibition category was Molemo Moiloa for her work, Concrete Truth, while the Technical Excellence runner up was Estie Nell with her work “Jas”. Both these artists received R10,000.

Merit awards of R2,500 each went to Brendon Erasmus for Upper Abyssal Jaw, and Pieter Cilliers for Tilted Shelves 2007 – 2008.

“The judges were very pleased with the number of entries submitted for the photographic jury,” said Awards Committee Chairperson, Kay Potts. “The variety of concepts, styles and technical skills made arriving at consensus on the winners daunting. The material we received was both thought provoking and challenging,” she said.

Dr Orrie Fenn, PPC’s Chief Operating Officer said: “We are proud of our long association with the PPC Young Concrete Sculptors Awards and its celebration of the rich and varied artistic talent in South Africa, and honoured to be sponsoring a competition of this magnitude that has benefited so many young aspiring artists over the last sixteen years.”

Nomzamo Basson, PPC Public Relations Manager added that “the fact that our product cement is used as a medium of sculpting underlines our commitment to nation building and our contribution to South Africa’s heritage.”

Pieter van Heerden, Director of the Association of Arts Pretoria, concludes: “The PPC Competition is one of the yearly highlights of our Association, and it is always a tremendous pleasure to present this event. The Pretoria Arts Association is grateful to be the chosen venue and partner in the PPC Young Concrete Sculptor Awards, which gives the opportunity for young artists to present their works to the public. Many of our very prominent sculptors look back with pride at the start of their careers when they first participated in the PPC Competition. This year’s success reflects the ongoing interest and importance of art in our communities. We look forward to many more successful competitions and the launching of many more young artist’s careers.”