BRETT KEBBLE
ART AWARDS WILL NOT GO AHEAD
It was announced on October 19 that the Brett Kebble Art Awards, planned for
February 2006, would not go ahead. 'The Kebble family informed me today that
after a family conference they had decided not to go ahead with the Awards.
They say that it is too difficult emotionally for them to continue at this
time, so soon after Brett's death', said David Barritt, producer of the
Awards. Barritt said the family had not ruled out a version of the Awards
continuing at some point in the future.
He added that the family wished to thank all the artists who had submitted
work and the curatorial team who had worked on the Awards. Barritt said the
family had promised to return to the artists all their work already in Cape
Town after being selected for the finalists' exhibition.
'In their first two years the Brett Kebble Art Awards had made a significant
contribution to the art community and South Africa will be poorer for their
loss,' said Barritt. 'The late Brett Kebble created South Africa's biggest,
boldest and most inclusive art awards. Because of him artists like Doreen
Southwood, Tanya Poole and Phillip Rikhotso sprang to national prominence
and many other artists gained a wider audience to appreciate their work.'
The Awards curator Clive van den Berg said, 'The Brett Kebble Art Awards
will not be easily replaced. For many contemporary artists they provided a
unique platform. We were very excited about the quality and range of work
submitted this year. It is an enormous loss.'
For more information, please contact David Barritt on 082 603 3981
