Artists stand a chance to study in Paris,
New York and the Island of Sylt
Emerging artists are encouraged to prepare
their work for entry into the 2013 Absa L’Atelier art competition. Held
annually in partnership with SANAVA (South African National Association for the
Visual Arts), the Absa L’Atelier art competition is regarded as one of South
Africa’s most prestigious and longest running art competitions. It has launched
the careers of many South African artists who have become household names on a
global level.
To help promote the 2013 competition, Absa
undertook an experiment to see whether there was a substitute for real
experience. Working with their advertising agency, The Jupiter Drawing Room (Johannesburg),
they hypnotised young artists and told them they were in Paris, New York or on
the Island of Sylt, places they had never visited before, and the destinations in
which the winning artists will receive residences. While under hypnosis and
believing they were in these cities, they created artworks showing what they
saw.
The competition is open to young emerging
artists between the ages of 21 and 35, giving them the opportunity to receive
recognition for their work and develop their talents abroad. Entries to the
competition can be submitted from March 2013, and artists are encouraged to
begin work on their pieces in anticipation.
The winning artist wins a range of prizes,
including cash, as well as a coveted opportunity to study at the Cité
Internationale Des Arts in the heart of Paris, where they can develop their
talent surrounded by leading artists from across the world. Two merit award
winners will be chosen to win prizes of a residency at the Ampersand Foundation
in New York and at the Sylt Foundation on the Island of Sylt in Germany
respectively. There is a fourth prize, sponsored by the French Embassy and
Alliance Francaise.
The winners of the 2012 competition were
Elrie Joubert and Bambo Sibiya (Gerard Sekoto Award winner). Joubert’s entry
was an installation based around a contemporary interpretation of the
renaissance practice of keeping a cabinet of rarities; while Sibiya’s piece
celebrated the power of women and how they challenge life as single parents.
They will take up their prize residencies in 2013.
Emerging artists can find more information
and download the entry form at www.absalatelier.co.za
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