Conrad Botes takes top honours at the 2004 ABSA L'Atelier
by Kresta Tyler Johnson
It's awards season again, and another annual event has recognised some prominent, young artists. Painter and comic artist, Conrad Botes, who recently held a solo show at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), was awarded with the prestigious ABSA L'Atelier Award for 2004 for his work Theatre of Cruelty. His prize earnings totals R100 000 and allow him to spend six months at the Cit� Internationale des Arts in Paris.
Botes' career has been on the rise since his earliest studies in graphic design and illustration at the University of Stellenbosch. In conjunction with Joe Dog (Anton Kannemeyer) he co-founded Bitterkomix in 1992, a graphic publication that probes the darkest underbelly of the South African and Afrikaans psyche. His recent work at JAG continued the subversive, irreverent yet provocative explorations that are his signature.
The Absa L'Atelier is co-organised by the South African National Association for the Visual Arts and is open to artists between 21 and 35. This year, the French embassy donated a second prize of R80 000 for the most promising artist in the name of Gerard Sekoto who spent decades working in Paris.
The prize was awarded to Belinda Zangewa, who entered her mixed media small handbags with delicately rendered scenes depicting faith, love, and hope. Zangewa will also receive the opportunity to spend three months in Paris, as well as training in French and a commission for the poster of a nation-wide touring exhibition. Capetonian photographer Piter Hugo was awarded a merit prize too.
Absa began their annual recognition of young artists back in 1986, when highly acclaimed artist Penny Siopis took first prize at the Volksas Atelier Awards as it was then known. Numerous other established artists have won the award, and today the event receives upwards of 500 entries for only 100 final selections.
A national selection panel judges the work and the winner is usually announced in mid-July. An exhibition of the finalists, including the winners is on view at Absa Gallery until August 20.