18th ABSA L'Atelier winners
The ABSA L'Atelier has, since its inception 18 years ago, become one of South Africa's premier national prizes for young artists. This year's winner, Sanell Aggenbach, takes home R70 000, round trip to France and a residence at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris. The prize gives the winner the chance of interacting with the European art industry, a living allowance and the greatest freedom - time - to produce new work.
Aggenbach's work, Bleak, is drawn from her third one-person show at the AVA recently. A mixed media installation, the work shows three black sheep gazing eyelessly at a tapestry landscape on the wall.
Of the four merit award winners, two were photographers (Johannesburg-based Natasha Christopher and Belville's Patricia Driscoll) and two were Pretoria-based installation artists (Berco Wilsenach and Retha Bornmann). Each takes home a prize of R15 000.
The five remaining top-ten finalists were Rikus Ferreira, Abrie Fourie, Jonah Sack, Lyndi Sales and Lucy Simmonds.
The judges for the National Selection Panel included Conrad Theys (National President of the South African National Association for the Visual Arts, the organization now partnering ABSA in this competition), artists Kevin Brand, Peter Clarke and Andre Naude, and art consultant Lucia Burger.
The work is currently on show at the ABSA Gallery in downtown Johannesburg.
Absa Gallery, Absa Towers North, 161 Main Street, Johannesburg
Tel: (011) 350 4588
Email: juliemc@absa.co.za
Hours: Mon - Fri 9.30am - 3.30pm
