The Absa L'Atelier Art Competition is a South African annual art award for South African visual artists between the ages of 21 and 35. The competition is run in conjunction with the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA).

History

The art award was originally known as the

Volkskas Volkskas Beperk ( en, Peoples' Bank) was a South African bank founded in 1934 as a cooperative loan bank, becoming a commercial bank in 1941. In 1991, by which time it had become South Africa's largest Afrikaner bank, Volkskas merged with Unite ...

Bank Atelier Competition and was established in 1986 and kept this name up to 1998 (when Volkskas was incorporated into the

Absa Group Absa Group Limited (ABGL; formerly Barclays Africa Group Limited), and originally Amalgamated Banks of South Africa, is a South African-based financial services group, offering personal and business banking, credit cards, corporate and invest ...

). From 1999 to 2001 the award was known as the Absa Atelier competition. From 2004 the

Gerard Sekoto Gerard Sekoto (9 December 1913 – 20 March 1993), was a South African artist and musician. He is recognised as a pioneer of urban black art and social realism. His work was exhibited in Paris, Stockholm, Venice, Washington, and Senegal, as wel ...

award was added to the competition, to support the most promising artist taking part in the competition with an income of less than R60 000 per annum. This award is supported by the French Embassy, the French Institute and

Alliance Française An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. In the early 1980
SANAVA
acquired three atelier apartments at the

Cité internationale des arts The Cité internationale des arts is an artist-in-residence building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in the Marais and the other in Montmartre. Approximately ...

from where the name Atelier Competition has its origin. These assets are held in trust in terms of an Occupational Rights Agreement by the SANAVA Cité des Arts Trust, valid until 22 March 2060.

Previous winners and merit awards

1986

Winner

Penny Siopis Penny Siopis (born 5 February 1953) is a South African artist from Cape Town. She was born in Vryburg in the North West province from Greek parents who had moved after inheriting a bakery from Siopis maternal grandfather. Siopis studied Fine Ar ...

Merit Award Winners Deborah Bell, Andrew Breebaart, Dennis Purvis and Simon Stone

1987

Winner Clive van den Berg Merit Award Winners Andries Botha, Philippa Hobbs, Tommy Motswai and Karel Nel

1988

Winner

Diane Victor Diane Victor, (born 1964, Witbank, South Africa) is a South African artist and print maker, known for her satirical and social commentary of contemporary South African politics. Biography Victor was born in Witbank, South Africa. She received ...

Merit Award Winners Kay Cowley, Guy du Toit, Johann Louw and Margaret Vorster

1989

Winner Hennie Stroebel Merit Award Winners Caroline Jones, Walter Oltman, Giulio Tambellini and Jeremy Wafer

1990

Winner Barend de Wet Merit Award Winners Andrew Breebaart, Jean Bruwer, Guy du Toit and Judy Woodborne

1991

Winner Virginia McKenny Merit Award Winners Nicole Donald, Ruth Mileham, Johann van der Schijff and Pierre van der Westhuizen

1992

Winner Paul Edmunds Merit Award Winners Wayne Barker, Marc Edwards, Dominic Thorburn and Minette Vári

1993

Winner Dominic Thorburn Merit Award Winners

Siemon Allen Siemon Allen (born in Durban, South Africa) is an artist working mainly with installations. He is living and working in the United States. Allen is considered one of the most prominent exponents of the South African arts diaspora in the North ...

, Diek Grobler, Adam Letch and Russel Scott

1994

Winner Jonathan Comerford Merit Award Winners Andrew Putter, Kevin Roberts, Henk Serfontein and Alastair Whitton

1995

Winner Kevin Roberts Merit Award Winners Moses Ceywayo, Gordon Froud, Diek Grobler and

Peet Pienaar Peet Pienaar (born 29 August 1971 near Potchefstroom, South Africa) is a South African performance artist, most famous for having himself videotaped while undergoing circumcision in 2000. The discarded foreskin, displayed in a small perspex case ...

1996

Winner Isaac Khanyile Merit Award Winners Hanneke Benadé, Wim Botha, Semkelo Bunu and Berco Wilsenach

1997

Winner Ilse Pahl Merit Award Winners Lucas Bambo, Cecile Heystek, Kim Lieberman and Richardt Strydom

1998

Winner Karl Gietl Merit Award Winners Wayne Barker, Hanneke Benadé, Jean Brundit and Peter Rippon

1999

Winner Ryan Arenson Merit Award Winners Brad Hammond, Fritha Langerman, Albert Redelinghuys and Vanessa van Wyk

2000

Winner Brad Hammond Merit Award Winners Joni Brenner Natasha Christopher, Colbert Mashile and Nigel Mullins

2001

Winner Stefanus Rademeyer Merit Award Winners Marco Cianfanelli, Daniel Hirschman, Brent Meistre and Merryn Singer

2002

Winner Marco Cianfanelli Merit Award Winners Natasha Christopher, Alastair McLachlan, Benninghoff Puren and James Webb

2003

Winner Sanell Aggenbach Merit Award Winners Retha Bornmann, Natasha Christopher, Patricia Driscoll and Berco Wilsenach

2004

Winner Conrad Botes Merit Award Winners Stephen Hobbs

Pieter Hugo Pieter Hugo (born 1976) is a South African photographer who primarily works in portraiture. He lives in Cape Town.Leah Ollman (9 February 2007)Photography that goes only skin deep''Los Angeles Times''. Hugo has had four monographs published. H ...

, Lize Muller and Robert Rich Gerard Sekoto Award Winners Billie Zangewa

2005

Winner Berco Wilsenach Merit Award Winners Katherine Bull, Lawrence Lemoaona, Patrice Mabasa and

Mikhael Subotzky Mikhael Subotzky (born Cape Town, South Africa, 1981) is a South African artist based in Johannesburg. His installation, film, video and photographic work have been exhibited widely in museums and galleries, and received awards including the KLM ...

Gerard Sekoto Winner Lawrence Lemoaona

2006

Winner Ruth Sachs Merit Award Winners Nathani Lüneburg, Riason Naidoo, Anet Norval and James Webb Gerard Sekoto Winner Nomusa Makhubu

2007

Winner Pierre Fouché Merit Award Winners Nina Barnett, Wayne Matthews, Lyndi Sales and Jaco Spies Gerard Sekoto Winner Nina Barnett

2008

Winner James Webb Merit Award Winners Christiaan Hattingh, Lunga Kama, Alhyrian Laue and Antonia Steyn Gerard Sekoto Winner Retha Ferguson

2009

Winner Stephen Rosin

2010

Winner Ilka van Schalkwyk Merit Award Winners Abri de Swardt, Philiswa Lila, Collen Maswanganyi and Hanje Whitehead. Gerard Sekoto Winner Bongumenzi Ngobese

2012

Winner Elrie Joubert Merit Award Winners Sibiya Bambo, Mandy Johnston, Heidi Janice Mielke and Nina Liebenberg Gerard Sekoto Winner Sibiya Bambo

2013

Winner Pauline Gutter Merit Award Winners Kathleen Sawyer and Jaco Van Schalkwyk Gerard Sekoto Winner Mongezi Ncaphayi

2014

Winner Liberty Battson Merit Award Winners Bevan de Wet and Luyanda Zindela Gerard Sekoto Winner Mbavhalelo Nekhavhambe

2015

Winner Kai Losgott Merit Award Winners Gideon Appah (non South African prize from Ghana), Nina Kruger and Nelmarie du Preez Gerard Sekoto Winner Natalie Moore

References

External links

"L'Atelier Competition"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Absa L'Atelier Art Competition Contemporary art awards Early career awards South African art awards