NEW BREED ART COMPETITION

NEW BREED ART COMPETITION Winning work tackles mental health issues among our youth www.newbreedart.co.za

In speaking to the growing threat of mental health issues, depression and suicide among our country’s youth, the judges of the New Breed Art Competition 2019 were in full agreement from the outset that this year’s winning work is Neo Theku’s compelling photographical work, entitled “Suicide mask.”

“The work asks the viewer to understand the darkness that many of our young people are forced to deal with, often without support or understanding,” said Sam Moleko, competition spokesperson, at the official awards ceremony at Oliewenhuis Art Museum. He echoed the judges’ sentiments by further remarking that through the use of powerful imagery and precise presentation, Theku’s thought-provoking work immediately demands attention, drawing the viewer in to reflect on this highly contemporary issue.

Overcome with emotion when announced as the overall winner of this year’s competition, Theku, a third-year student at the Central University of Technology, was awarded R50,000 in prize money.

The Runner-Up Award and R20,000 in prize money went to Kay Fourie, who holds an Honours Degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Free State, for her technically and conceptually strong charcoal drawing entitled “Scrapyard”. This well-executed work addresses the highly relevant topics of water scarcity, drought and food security in a South African context.

The first of two R10,000 Merit Awards, with which the judges had a bit more leeway to identify emerging talent that can be nurtured and mentored to unlock potential and promise, went to Miné Kleynhans, who has a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Free State.

Bokang Nkejane, Merrit winner with his winning work I was in the Jim.

Her award-winning installation work consists of finely assembled wood and glass, visually representing the different pathways in which morality flows around contested issues, and is aptly titled “Moral Compass”.

The second R10,000 Merit Award went to Bokang Nkejane, a Central University of Technology student, in praise of his intuitive and bold style of working with oil and pastels in his work, “I was in the Jim”. Herein he aggressively portrays his views on abundance, arrogance and even sexualisation, demanding close consideration of the work.

Finally, with about 10% of the nearly 2 000 votes cast online, the Public Choice Award went to Bongani Tshabalala for his two striking photographic images, entitled “Deeper into the soul” and “Hidden pain”, wherein he touches on the stark perceptions and expectations society place on both men and women.

Moleko reflected how this year’s works, especially those that emerged as the winners, indicated how the New Breed Art Competition is maturing and gaining momentum in uncovering and inspiring emerging artists who are putting their hands up for greater recognition through their innovative, boundarypushing art. “At its core, the competition is about providing a platform for emerging artists to display their talent and show why they are potentially a New Breed of Artist. And the results are starting to show with increasingly exciting new artists coming forward and entering.”

Above outlined five winners were chosen by die official competition judges out of a total of 36 top Free State artists whose 44 works formed part of this year’s official New Breed Art Competition exhibition. The judging panel consisted of Thabo Seshoka, Specialist Curator at the Absa Art Gallery, Colbert Mashile, renowned painter and visual artist from Johannesburg, Nonto Sheryl Msomi, the Project Manager for the Art Bank of South Africa, and Karen Brusch, former Director of Gallery MOMO Johannesburg and founder of the Free State Art Collective.

The New Breed Art Competition is presented annually by Phatshoane Henney Attorneys, in association with Oliewenhuis Art Museum. For more information, visit www.newbreedart.co.za