This year saw South Africans win a clutch of awards, but also saw artists declining honours in acts of political protest. Photographer Pieter Hugo won two major awards that garnered media attention internationally. In June, Hugo, together with Michael Cleary, was awarded the Young Director's Award at the Cannes Film Festival for the video of Spoek Matambo’s Control. In November, Hugo also went on to win the Seydou Keita Award, the most prestigious prize at the Rencontres de Bamako in Mali. He has also recently been shortlisted...

This year saw South Africans win a clutch of awards, but also saw artists declining honours in acts of political protest. Photographer Pieter Hugo won two major awards that garnered media attention internationally. In June, Hugo, together with Michael Cleary, was awarded the Young Director's Award at the Cannes Film Festival for the video of Spoek Matambo’s Control. In November, Hugo also went on to win the Seydou Keita Award, the most prestigious prize at the Rencontres de Bamako in Mali. He has also recently been shortlisted for the highly esteemed 2012 Deutsche Börse prize for his book Permanent Error.

In December, William Kentridge received an honorary degree from the University of London in recognition of his contribution to art. This was the same honour his father, Sidney Kentridge, received in 1995 for his contribution to law. It is the first time that a father and son have won this award.

Locally this year saw two new awards at the Joburg Art Fair being established. The FNB Art Prize, an award selected by the gallerists at the fair, was awarded to Cedric Nunn for his outstanding achievement in documentary photography. The Sovereign African Art Prize also made its debut with the Moroccan born Hassan Hajajj being awarded the first prize.

The Standard Bank Young Artist Award in the Visual Art section was awarded to Mikhael Subotzky, while the young upcoming painter, Ian Grose, was awarded the ABSA L’Atelier Prize for his triptych Colour, Separation. Also this year, David Goldblatt and Ivan Vladislavic won the Kraszna-Krausz Best Photography Book Award for TJ & Double Negative.

It was, however, David Goldblatt, in one of the most interesting stories of the year, who notably refused to accept a national honoury award form President Jacob Zuma. Goldblatt wrote to the Chancellor of Orders explaining that he was declining the Order of Ikhamanga, which was to be awarded to him early in 2012. His refusal came in protest against the passing of the Protection of State Information Bill in the National Assembly. Goldblatt stated in his missive that the citation attached to the award was in direct conflict with the so-called Secrecy Bill. He claimed that to accept the award would endorse the Government’s contempt for what the award in fact was meant to stand for.

Goldblatt’s protest against the government followed Zwelethu Mthethwa’s refusal to participate in this year’s Venice Biennale. Mthethwa pulled out of the Biennale after discovering that there was a ‘lack of transparency’ regarding the relationship between South Africa’s commissioner of the Biennale, Monna Mokoena, and the Department of Arts and Culture.