(2014 Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winners:
Greg Homann; Jahmil XT Qubeka; Nicola
Elliot and Njabulo Madlala. Front: Kyle Shepherd; Hasan and Husain Essop and
Donna Kukuma. Pic Timmy Henny)
There is always
much excitement and high expectations in Grahamstown when the Standard Bank
Young Artists unveil the fruits of their labours to Festival audiences. This
year Standard Bank marks 30 years of sponsorship for these awards and to honour
this anniversary, an unprecedented seven awards were made in 2014.
A theatre
favourite, Greg Homann’s Oedipus @
Koö-Nú! is based on the tragedy Oedipus
at Colonus by Sophocles. Giving some background to his work Homann explains
how he cast the production, “David Dennis is a long-time friend and colleague
with whom I have worked in four other productions and I felt that he would suit
the character of Oedipus. I know how he works and felt comfortable with his
acting ability. Masasa Mbangeni (a past student of mine) plays Antigone. I have
been so enthused by her rehearsal performances and am excited to see the cast
coming together. An interesting angle for me is that I have cast Tumi Morake (a
comedian in her other life) as Theseus and she has developed into an
accomplished actress. It has been an interesting journey for us both. The
others - Jerry Mntonga, Glen Biderman-Pam and Ameera Patel - are all new
castings and have been so encouraged as to how it has all turned out.”
A double award this
year goes to twins Hasan and Husain Essop (Visual Art) who are supported by the
Goodman Gallery and will exhibit a body of new work in the Monument Gallery. It
is inspiring to see how two people can work together in one space with similar
visions but each with his own ‘stamp’.
Husain explains their
vision behind the exhibition: “This great opportunity gave us the platform to
start working on a new body of work that forms part of a larger body which
we've been working on for some time now. Our new work explores the 'Unrest'
that we experience on a day to day basis. The images highlight both the
experiences and surroundings that affect us on a physical as well as a
spiritual level. We explore the notion of the effects of violence on our
communities but also how this violence affects our minds and how we as
individuals deal with this violence in our own way,” he said.
“Where technical
aspects are concerned we have kept our traditional way of working incorporating
performance and carefully selected backgrounds that complement the actions and
wardrobe. We work with layering where hundreds of images are shot from all
angles and carefully and painstakingly stitched together to form a high res
image that appears both 3-dimensional and has a clear depth of field. Our work
contains video and installation elements to create a full viewing experience,”
Husain explained.
Hasan added,
“Husain and I took a similar view towards the making of this new body of work.
We both wanted to keep the formula we used in creating staged layered
photography. The prize also gave me a new-found confidence in my work, enabling
me to focus on the meanings and messaging without having to worry about
budgets.”
Donna Kukama
(Performance Art) has been cementing her international reputation through a
series of performances through Europe and South America. She was one of the South African artists
represented in Venice as part of Imaginary Fact, in the SA Pavilion during the
55th Venice Biennale. Kukama’s work explores contemporary understandings of
history; always accompanied by a consideration of meaning and questions around
value; and reflection on the personal, in the context of the political. “I will
launch my piece, The Museum of
Non-Permanence at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown which I hope
will continue to function as a mobile structure, morphing in various
environments beyond the Festival,” she said.
Sassy and eccentric
are two words you would use to describe Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner
for Jazz, Kyle Shepherd. Festinos will not be disappointed with the
performances this year from the feted Capetonian, a pianist, saxophonist,
composer and band leader. Ten years ago this prodigiously talented young man
performed in Grahamstown as a member of the Standard Bank National Schools Big
Band; now he stands on that same stage on the cusp of a career that promises to
be significant for South African jazz.
"This year at
the National Arts Festival I will be playing new works that I recently recorded
which will be released on a double album of 21 tracks, titled Dream State. The album will be available
in Grahamstown and was made possible with the generous support of Standard
Bank. In my first performance at the National Arts Festival I will have the
honour of playing my music with the great Feya Faku and Buddy Wells",
commented Shepherd.
Talented Njabulo
Madlala (Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Music) performed in many
countries before releasing his first album Songs
of Home. Madlala, who is based in the UK, was recently invited to perform
at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, and then at the RMB
Starlight Classics at Vergelegen in Cape Town.
“I am forever
indebted to Richard Cock and the National Arts Festival for recognising my
talent and for the acknowledgement that I have received from my home country
since the award,” said Madlala. “Working with talented Samson Diamond (violin)
who is a past Standard Bank Young Artist winner and being part of the Gala
Concert is going to be a highlight for me.”
Nicola Elliot
(Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Dance) explains, Bruising is about that aching sensation
of having lost something that was richly meaningful. It is about moving forward
into a new, unexpected state of being despite that loss. Individuals might know
this feeling from their personal lives; but there are also resonances for many
South Africans as the concept of the Nelson Mandela-era South Africa seems to
be slipping from our grasp; and more globally as the earth exhibits change at
an alarming pace and scale. I’ve been inspired by the fact that the theatre is
a place in which we can confront and reflect upon ourselves. Audiences can
expect to find many things of unique beauty, but will also be startled and
surprised by what the work presents and how it asks you to perceive the world
of the stage," she said.
Controversy
surrounds this art maverick who won the Standard Bank Young Artist award for
Film for 2014. Jahmil XT Qubeka made headlines last year when his film Of good report was initially banned by
the Film and Publications Board before being screened at the Durban
International Film Festival. The film, of course, is anything but child
pornography (which formed the basis of the banning), but is a highly
provocative drama about a school teacher who lusts after the teenage girls in
his care. Directed by Qubeka, the film is beautifully shot in black and white,
and confirms his immense talent. It will
be screened at the Film Festival in Grahamstown, which is supported by MNet
There are seven
further films showcasing Qubeka’s skills on the programme this year. He
sardonically sketches the problems that are the scourge of South Africa –
poverty, violence, xenophobia and corruption.
Cool and composed,
Qubeka is unfazed by the media attention this has all caused and says “my work
is an extension of my vision, of what I see and feel around me. I'm fascinated
by the genesis of humanity and consciousness. Where we believe we come from,
why we think we are here and our speculation and preoccupation as to where it
is we are going. I am fascinated by the
psychology of the self. That paradigm encapsulates the framework of everything
that I do.”
“I am currently directing
a feature film called The Riders
starring Liam McIntyre, Lara Pulver and Richard E Grant,” he humbly notes.
Richard E. Grant also happens to be one of the first Young Artist winners when
it was sponsored by Five Roses in 1981.
The 40th
National Arts Festival runs from July 3 to 13 in Grahamstown this year.
Bookings for the 2014 National Arts Festival can be made online through the
website www.nationalartsfestival.co.za Programmes can be downloaded from the
website or collected from selected Exclusive Books and Standard Bank branches.
The National Arts
Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The National Lottery Distribution Trust
Fund, Eastern Cape Government, Department of Arts and Culture, City Press and M
Net.
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