(Husain & Hasan Essop. Pic: Timmy Henny)
The National Arts Festival has named an
unprecedented eight young South Africans winners of the prestigious Standard
Bank Young Artist Award, bringing to 125 the total number honoured since
Standard Bank began sponsoring the Awards three decades ago.
The Award is made annually to young South
African artists who are either on the threshold of national acclaim, or whose
artistic excellence has enabled them to make international breakthroughs.
“Celebrating excellence, innovation and a refined technical skill and artistry
rests at the heart of the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards. Each of this
year’s winners represent the vibrancy and sophistication with which South
Africa’s artistic and cultural legacy continues to be enriched” said Festival
Artistic Director, Ismail Mahomed.
Twin
brothers Hasan and Husain Essop (28) have been named by the National Arts
Festival as the joint winners of the 2014 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for
Visual Art.
Born and
raised in Cape Town, the twins have been collaborating since their graduation
from the Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2007. They both completed a Bachelor
of Fine Arts and Postgraduate Diploma in Art at Michaelis, and subsequently
Postgraduate Certificates in Education, at the University of Cape Town.
The
twins graduated with individual bodies of work, but when they were approached
by the Goodman Gallery in 2007, they proposed the idea of collaborating and
making art together - the first time they ever worked together.
“Growing
up, Husain and I were close but also apart,” explains Hasan. “We went to school
together, and lived in the same house but we had different friends, likes and
interests, and developed different identities and skills which we then brought
together when working together.” Husain specialised in Photography and makes
all the important technical decisions when setting up a shoot. Hasan
specialised in Printmaking and therefore has a lot more freedom in the
post-production and printing of the work.
They
both contribute to the subject matter and editing of the photographs, always
discussing new ideas and locations to shoot. They speak very visually to each
other and many ideas are born from their conversations; using popular culture,
the media and Hollywood as inspiration. They are interested in subject s that
interest the youth and forming the next generation.
“There
are many things that drive, motivate and inspire me,” says Hasan. “My religion
and spiritual belief - in my opinion - is the most important, as this guides my
life, creative process and subject matter. I love art and everything that comes
with it. At times it is extremely controversial and challenges my beliefs, but
I am motivated to find a balance between religion and art. My community and
culture, traditions and religion are subjects that I feel that have not been
explored and this provides an opportunity to portray ideas to people that have
not encountered them before.”
They
both say that their series of work highlights a multi-cultural clash between
religion and popular cultures. “We explore the dominating influence of Western
theatrics and those narratives that are constructed to depict a certain
reality. Inspired by Hollywood’s visual language and tactics, we create our own
narratives. Each photograph reflects us in a battle of moral, religious and
cultural conflicts. Two dominant personalities appear, East and West with all
their stereotypes. Environments are chosen as stages on which to perform and
define our behaviours.”
Over the
past few years, the brothers have been establishing themselves in various parts
of the world. During 2009 they completed a residency in Cuba (coinciding with
the inclusion of their work on Integration
and Resistance in the Global Age at the Havana Biennale) and facilitated a
workshop on invitation from the University of Hamburg, Germany. They were selected
for the Dakar Biennale in 2010, and credit the recognition they received from
taking part in the Spier Contemporary exhibition (2007 and 2010) as big boosts
for their career. Their work has appeared in several group shows, including the
ABSA L’Atelier in Johannesburg, Power
Play at Goodman Gallery Cape, Peekaboo
Current South Africa at The Helsinki Museum in Finland, and Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South
African Photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The
brothers took part in a residency at the Thami Mneyele Foundation in Amsterdam
in 2011, holding their first solo exhibition in the Middle East at the Isabelle
van den Eynde Gallery, in Dubai, titled Indelible
Marks, in the same year.
The
Essops’ work has been included in various private and public collections,
including the Spier Collection, the Durban Art Gallery and the South African
National Gallery. The Goodman Gallery has hosted two solo exhibitions of their
work – Halaal Art (2010,
Johannesburg) and Remembrance (2012,
Cape Town).
“Becoming
an artist has been a dream come true, but at the same time extremely difficult.
To have a twin brother who shares your experiences and qualifications, and that
is driven, is in my opinion the leading factor in our success.” says Hasan.
There
have been many proud moments in their career, including a visit from Sir Elton
John to their parents’ home in Rylands to buy some of their work; and being
selected by Puma to create a design for the national soccer team jersey, which
Bafana Bafana have been wearing since 2011; but the twins remain, foremost,
committed to their families and community.
Both
working full time as educators in boys’ schools in Cape Town, they focus a lot
of energy on developing and maintaining their skills. “I believe that in order
to share knowledge you need to have it, and therefore teaching has made me a
better person and artist” explains Hasan. “I love being kept busy and my mind
busy as it keeps me sharp and ready to embrace new challenges and obstacles.”
They look
forward to their first trip to the National Arts Festival, and compiling their
first print catalogue, as offshoots of winning the Standard Bank Young Artist
Award. Motivated by the influence of significant teachers in their own lives,
they hope to inspire others, especially the youth through education, and thus
leave a positive legacy in South African Art.
For more
on their work visit www.goodman-gallery.com/artists/hasanhusainessop
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