0326 absa 2007 l'atelier catalogue lowres

Absa L’Atelier 2007

Behind every door lies...Behind every door lies...

Open upDoors open. Doors close. Behind every door, thereis a reality. For each of us, that reality is different.For the artist, the challenge is to find a uniqueway to express that unique reality.

For 22 years now, the Absa L’Atelier Awards,incorporating the Gerard Sekoto Award, havebeen opening doors for young artists. Theseawards also afford us the privilege of a glimpseinto these talented young people’s realities.

Open the door. Walk with Absa through anunparalleled experience, expressed in art.

Door no 1

The Absa L’Atelier AwardThe Absa L’Atelier Art Competition is presented annually byAbsa in conjunction with SANAVA (South African NationalAssociation for the Visual Arts). It is a competition for youngartists in the age group 21 to 35 years. Works of art wereselected in Bellville, Bloemfontein, Durban, Johannesburg,East London, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and Thohoyandou by alocal panel of selectors guided by Guy du Toit on behalf of theNational President of SANAVA. The selected works of art havebeen sent to Johannesburg for final adjudication.

National Selection PanelGuy du Toit, Coordinator

David Andrews, Johannesburg

Fritha Langerman, Cape Town

Vulindlela Nyoni, Pietermaritzburg

Kevin Roberts, Pretoria

Air ticket to Paris, France sponsored by Absa

This catalogue has been compiled by Cecile Loedolff, Manager:Art, Group Marketing, Absa.

Published by Absa, member of the Barclays Group.

2007 Absa L’Atelier Awards Catalogue ISBN 978-0-620-38917-4

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Door no 3

Introduction

Guy du Toit, CoordinatorThe Absa L’Atelier Awards is 22 years old and no longer a teenager. It isstill as always an important platform for artists and the prizes areimpressive research and networking opportunities for under thirty fives.I am reluctant to call them young or emerging artists as many haveestablished careers and are producing mature work.

It is said that the most important decision an artist takes is the decisionwhether or not to release a work into the public domain, and in this case,subject one’s personal vision to a rather ironic selection and judicationprocess. The winning works are determined by all the other works on theexhibition; they are informed by and stand in relationship to this gestalt.Change some of the selected works and the potential that the winnerswould be different becomes real. So too, works that were not selectedhelped determine those that were and vice versa. Every artist whosubmitted art has contributed to the final exhibition and effectively tothe winners and they should all be applauded. The sponsors, selectorsand adjudicators should also be thanked as the Absa L’Atelier Awardswould be nil without them.

The exhibition as a whole sets up a narrative that is specific to theparticular selection of artworks. Bring in the selectors and adjudicators,each with their peculiar readings of this whole and its parts, and weshould have exponentially divergent takes on the final laureates, but andthis always amazes me, consensus is arrived at with relative ease.

However, what is even more interesting and important is you, the viewingpublic, for it is you who complete the whole process by giving the timeto interact and react with the individual works, the whole exhibition, andin effect judge the jurors’ judgements. Thank you all and enjoy the show.

Changing the reality of young artists in South Africa has been the metier ofthe Absa L’Atelier, Africa’s longest-running art competition, for 22 years now.

Over the years, many an upcoming artist has eagerly crossed the thresholdinto the light of recognition ignited by winning a L’Atelier or Gerard SekotoAward. Most have gone on to make a significant impact on the world ofthe arts – through their body of work and through their inspired teaching.

The opportunity to nurture the arts offered by a sponsorship incorporatingthese two awards is something we at Absa prize most highly. In our questfor pre-eminence in South Africa and on the African continent, it behoves usto open doors for the burgeoning talents of this richly diverse environment.

We have always been careful to ensure that our involvement in the arts goesbeyond bestowing stature and prestige in the form of a sought-after award.

It is the two sponsored sabbaticals at the Cité Internationale des Arts inParis, France, that give these awards their undoubted power to influencethe South African art scene.

This international exposure – and the time and money young artists aregranted to pursue their muse – differentiates the L’Atelier and Gerard SekotoAwards from anything else South Africa has to offer its upcoming artists.

It gives me a great pleasure to celebrate the latest crop of L’Atelier andGerard Sekoto talent by means of this catalogue.

– Steve BooysenAbsa Group Chief Executive

Foreword

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Door no 5

Gerard Sekoto Award

Gerard Sekoto (1913 – 1993)Sekoto was born at Botshabelo near Middelburg in the former Transvaalon 9 December 1913. His early paintings depicted scenes from Sophiatown,District Six and Eastwood near Pretoria.

He left South Africa in 1947 for Europe and settled in Paris in voluntaryexile where he lived until his death in 1993. As an African Parisian healways yearned for his South African roots and identity, which he depictedwith much nostalgia in many of his works.

In Paris and with the support of the French loving public, doors eventuallyopened for Sekoto to explore his own creativity. With this award wehonour Gerard Sekoto. The French Embassy, the French Institute and theAlliance Française, felt it appropriate to create such an award to supportthe most promising artist with an income of less than R60 000 perannum. This award will hopefully open yet another door for a youngSouth African artist in the city of love and art, namely Paris.

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Gerard Sekoto Award: 2004

An unparalleled portalThe realities of building a career as an artist were very different for Billie Zangewa after shestepped out as a Gerard Sekoto Award winner.

Plucking up the courage to re-open the door to a career in art after ten successful years in theclothing industry, paid off for Billie Zangewa (34) when she won the first Gerard Sekoto Awardin 2004.

“Without the exposure my solo exhibition as a winner afforded me and the kudos of havingreceived this well regarded award, it would have been much more of a struggle to gain recognitionas an artist,” Billie says.

She knows. Fresh out of Rhodes University ten years before, she had pursued her dream butfound the going too hard.

“In Gaborone, I worked and worked at it, but I just couldn’t make headway, having to do everything– and pay for everything – myself. The kind of support and exposure Absa’s prize has given memakes all the difference.”

Once she had recovered from the surprise and ecstasy of winning, Billie took off for her sabbaticalin the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris determined to make the most of this wonderful prize.

“Strangely enough, I had formed an interest in the French language right from my early daysin primary school in Botswana. Being able to talk to the Parisians in their own language – albeitbadly – certainly helped. I found they thawed to me quite quickly.”

Billie says the location and ambience of the Cité could not have been better. She gained muchfrom her exposure to French and international art and artists, as well as from wandering thestreets, shops and galleries of Paris.

“Much of what European artists do is so simple. Their art is about ordinary things. They take theordinary and make something extraordinary of it. That is what informs my work to this day. Itappeals to me.”

Now that she has been living her dream for three years, Billie feels no trace of the boredom andrestlessness that plagued her in the days when she couldn’t give up her day job. And the portalto her happiness was the Gerard Sekoto Award.

Door no 7

A firm step into the futureAn enticing reality awaits Lawrence Lemaoana on the other side of the door that the GerardSekoto Award opened up for him in 2005.

Spending from June through August last year in the Cité Internationale des Arts cast a wholenew light on his art career for Lawrence Lemaoana (25).

“It was an incredible time for me. I got to explore many other works of art and my time inParis made me take a different look at my own work,” says Lawrence.

“The people I met seemed very interested in how my identity as a South African informedmy work. I was more used to striving to be as international as possible in my expression.”

So, for Lawrence, infusing his French experience into his work came down to feeling morefree, to be unashamedly local.

“Another thing I realised from the conversations I had with other artists and from examiningtheir concepts, was that we South Africans have more of a sense of humour than most. Ienjoy adding an element of surprise to my work. You lose nothing when you laugh,” Lawrencepoints out.

A realisation of the wealth that we have as South Africans also came out strongly forLawrence during his time overseas.

For one, he realised that it was relatively easy for him to adapt to a foreign culture becauseof his varied experience growing up in this country.

“My parents are black and hard working, but none too wealthy. They value a good educationand saw to it that I went first to an Indian primary school and then to a former Model Cschool in a largely Jewish community. Multi-culturalism comes naturally to me.”

So, although winning the Gerard Sekoto Award and going to Paris took Lawrence out of hiscomfort zone, he had the right mindset to gain as much as possible from it right from the start.

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“Being away from home and part ofsuch a vibrant art community put meon the right footing to delve into mybeing as an artist. Having steppedthrough that door, I am seeing myfuture in a new light. I know art isgoing to be my life.”

Having that certainty, as well as theopportunity to exhibit his work andthe recognition of his potential worthas an artist, is important to Lawrence.

“Art was never part of my familybackground. It took a leap of faith formy parents to accept my choice whenI started studying fine art at theUniversity of Johannesburg,” he says.

“I think they feel more secure aboutmy prospects after I gained my BTechdegree and when I received theGerard Sekoto Award.”

Door no 9


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Opportunity opened upWhen Sasa Makhubu stepped through the door that winning last year’s Gerard SekotoAward opened for her, she met a plethora of opportunities that changed her reality.

Not only did winning the Gerard Sekoto Award in 2006 gain Sasa Makhubu (23) her firstresidency, it also opened up a world of opportunity and a whole new reality.

“I was bowled over to win. I hadn’t even expected to make it past the provincial selectionsfor the award,” says Sasa.

“And then, before I even left for Paris, I was also awarded Amnesty International’s Womanof the Year Award in the arts category.”

During her three months in the Cité Internationale des Arts, Sasa mixed with gallery ownersand plenty of artists with whom she could exchange ideas.

“I met people who knew Sekoto and I saw places where he lived and worked. It wasbreathtaking. I absolutely appreciate everything.”

She was also exposed to a diverse selection of art and artists, both visual and performing,during her time in Paris. “This made me look beyond boundaries,” she says.

Even after Sasa’s return, her time in the Cité has yielded a sustained interest in her work.Just last month, she heard that her work has been selected for an exhibition in this year’sJeune Creation in November.

“I also met people who informed me about other programmes, such as the Bamako AfricanPhotography Biennial, which I am hoping to participate in later this year, and I managedto put up an exhibition at the Cité, called face to face, which gave me a bit of exposure anda variety of opinions about my work,” she says.

“During the exhibition I was invited to participate in the Kunsthorten Exhibition, which wasunfortunately discontinued because of a lack of funding. Nonetheless, that was quite anachievement.”

Door no 11

This year, Sasa has also beennominated for the Shoprite/CheckersWoman of the Year Award.

She certainly never dreamed that herinterest in art, which started whileshe was at school and was fuelled byseeing her elder brother working onhis collages and paintings, wouldtake her so far.

“My brother’s work is still a majorinfluence on my art,” Sasa points out,“and my family has always been areal blessing to me.”

The context of the Vaal Triangle,where Sasa grew up, has also led herto question issues of identity and herlink to Grahamstown as a historicalspace. That is where she has spentthe past four years studying, first forher Bachelor of Fine Arts and now forher Masters in Art History.

In future, Sasa hopes to indulge herlove of drama, music and writing, aswell as pursuing her artistic career.Her dream is to have a studio whereother young artists will also be ableto work.

WinnerPierre Fouché

BellvilleThe distance between us IIIMixed media106,5cm x 105cm

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JohannesburgVoda vodaAnimation

2 min 24 sec

Nina Ruth Barnett

Door no 13

Wayne Matthews

Port ElizabethEuropa’s libationMixed media46cm x 58cm x 37cm

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BellvilleHow long can you hold your breath

Found objects82cm x 72,5cm

Lynda Dorothy (Lyndi) Sales

Door no 15

Theodorus Ignatius Jacobus (Jaco) Spies

BloemfonteinPalimpsest koppieAnimationInfinite time

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Door no 17

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Door no 19

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Door no 21

Profile: Armstrong was born in 1985. She is currentlystudying BA(FA) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Description of artwork: These three dog-men busts on three light grey plinths, represent power.

The power of imagination and the power of change.These sculptures stand taller than the artist herself,which creates a metaphor for power that art criticshave over the artists. Ironically without the artists theywould not exist.

Armstrong, Beth Diane

East LondonHybrid vigourMixed media(Triptych)a) 175cm x 31cm x 53cmb) 175cm x 31cm x 53cmc) 175cm x 31cm x 53cm

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2 min 24 sec

Barnett, Nina Ruth

Door no 23

Profile: Barnett was born in Johannesburg in 1983. Shestudied BA(FA) at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Description of artwork: This animation consistsof a series of red cups filled with water making a journeythrough the city of Belgrade from a public fountain to a gallery.

Profile: Bester was born in 1978.She studied BA(FA) at theUniversity of Stellenbosch, whichshe obtained cum laude.

Description of artwork:Le Marteau sans Maitre – Thehammer without a master, is akinetic sculpture created fromsalvaged parts of a piano. Theparts were reassembled in orderto make a new object that movesand makes sound. It challengesthe perception of a found objectand its place in society. The art-work’s title comes from a poemwritten by Rene Char in 1933 andPierre Boulez’s music score of 1955.This is the artist’s interpretationof a hammer without a masterwith direct reference to theprocess of producers.

Bester, Lynette

BellvilleLe Marteau sans MaitreSalvaged stand up piano190cm x 120cm x 110cm

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JohannesburgI’m a junkie

Mixed media(Four-part)

a) 50cm x 30cmb) 50cm x 30cmc) 50cm x 30cmd) 50cm x 30cm

Boshoga, Aubrey Thabang

Door no 25

Profile: Boshoga was born in Mamelodi, Pretoria in1972. He studied BA(FA) at the University of Durban-Westville.

Description of artwork: Many people in SouthAfrica are using drugs and because of this they arelosing their jobs, cars and loved ones. It is painful to

see how it destroys people’s lives. ‘I’m a junkie’ consistsof four works, trying to warn the people not to getaddicted to it and to those who are to stop using drugs.Hessian material is used to create texture in hispaintings but it also has a special meaning for him asit is not only a potato bag but it was also utilised forcleaning, scrubbing and bathing like the orange sack.

Botes, Sybrandt Lourens (Brandt)

BellvilleStick figures in perilDigital print76cm x 59cm

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Profile: Botes was born in 1975and studied BA(FA) AppliedGraphics at the University ofStellenbosch.

Description of artwork:A warning sign composed entirelyof warning signs. The immediateassociation with danger isundermined by the playful natureof the iconography and thesituations the stick figures findthemselves in.

BellvilleLove

Digital print76cm x 59cm


Door no 27

Description of artwork:Pastiche of Robert Indiana’s bestknown image. The sperm and eggcells making up the word LOVE,questions its meaning and purpose.It adds an additional layer ofinformation and meaning that worksboth and against it – on the one handa possible visual analogy of the wordand on the other hand a Trojan Horse.


BellvilleGreen peaceDigital print76,5cm x 59cm

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Description of artwork:The work portrays an image of abomb made of natural elements –the duality of this image can beinterpreted as nature fighting backor nature becoming a weapon(natural disasters); or alternatively,nature being erased by the fragilityof our environment and the stateof natural resources. The answer isnot supplied and the viewer is leftto make this decision.

Pretoria3 Roamers #1

Glass and steel183cm x 50cm x 47cm

Böttcher, Lothar Otto

Door no 29

Profile: Böttcher was born in1973 and studied Fine Arts at theTshwane University of Technology.He has participated in severalexhibitions, including the AbsaL’Atelier Exhibition in 2005.

Description of artwork:In his sculptures glass becomesthe focal point. The viewer isdrawn to the anomaly in spaceand becomes aware of thesurroundings within the glass.These lenses show a point of view(abstractly), changing perspectiveand observation of the contiguousspace. These works can bemanipulated (moved around) tochange their locality. In this waythe viewer can observe the spacearound him or her. This is not astatic work and needs theinteraction of the viewer,changing their perspectives ontheir environment.


Pretoria3 Roamers #2Glass and steel183cm x 50cm x 47cm

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Pretoria3 Roamers #3

Glass and steel183cm x 50cm x 47cm


Door no 31

Profile: Card was born in East London in 1985. Sheis currently studying for the BTech(FA) degree at theNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth.

Description of artwork: This artwork consistsof a series of drawings where repeated or similar imageryof dolls were used and changed to convey a specific topic,

namely child abuse. Card wanted to expose and explorethe social conditions within our society through her art-work, hopefully encouraging a process of healing withinour communities and at the same time creating consciousawareness. She has chosen to be a voice for the youngand helpless, those that have fallen victim to child abuse.

Card, Jayde

Port ElizabethCan you hear us? Series IMixed media(Triptych)a) 60cm x 50cmb) 60cm x 50cmc ) 60cm x 50cm

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East LondonDo you know Him from a bar of soap?

Mixed media89,5cm x 160cm x 11cm

Clüver, Frances Rose Mannix

Door no 33

Profile: Clüver was born in 1985. She is currentlystudying BA(FA) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Description of artwork: Mass consumerculture has led to apathy and desensitisation especiallywhen it comes to the topic of religion. This work hopesto interrogate the effects of mass production on ourthoughts and feelings towards Christ and spirituality.

Profile: Cronjé was born in 1975. She studied BA(FA)at the University of Stellenbosch, which she receivedcum laude. She also obtained an MA(FA) at the Universityof Stellenbosch. She has participated in severalexhibitions, including the Absa Atelier Exhibition in 2001.

Description of artwork: Cronjé’s motherintroduced her to the idea of evolution by showing heran illustrated book on this theme. This book illustratesFelix von Luschan’s chromatic scale of flesh colourvariations of the human race. Cronjé has always beenfascinated by the way in which humans need to classify

and order things to enable them to make sense, andsomehow she was drawn to an image of colouredceramic tiles. She found it impossible to reconcile thisvariety of colour with the odd variety of colours in hercrayon box. Another childhood fascination was thecolour samples at hardware shops – specifically thenames given to the different colours.

With this work entitled ‘Flesh’, she tried to find aconnection between these childhood perceptions andher love for colour. Living in South Africa, connotationswith race in terms of skin colour is unavoidable.

Cronjé, Karen

BellvilleFleshInk on paper(Twenty-part)36cm x 30cm each

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East LondonHeld still #1, #2, #3

Mixed media(Triptych)

a) 38cm x 66cm x 10cmb) 45cm x 64cm x 12cmc) 44cm x 66cm x 14cm

De Jager, Maureen Susan

Door no 35

Profile: De Jager was born in 1973 and studied BA(FA)at the University of the Witwatersrand, which sheobtained with distinction. She also studied MA(FA) atthe University of the Witwatersrand, which was alsoobtained with distinction. She has participated inseveral exhibitions.

Description of artwork: ‘Held still’ alludes tothe difficulties we sometimes have in distancing ourselvesfrom the past and from certain childhood experiences,

for which the teddy bear acts as a metaphor. The titlesuggests that some childhood experiences remain withus in adult life – they are ‘held still’ or still held onto as asource of comfort. But another meaning of ‘held still’would suggest that something is held in an unmovingposition, frozen and immobilised, much like the bears inthe sculpture. In this sense the desire to hold onto thepast paradoxically transforms that past into a rigid andunresponsive shell, which provides little comfort.

Profile: De Villiers was born in 1984 and studied for theBTech(FA) degree at the Tshwane University of Technology.

Description of artwork: De Villiers exploresthe notion of the book as an art form. These books

consist of her drawings and texts which she collectedand rendered. The books are in different formats, forexample pop-up and pull-outs, which explore issuesregarding the Anglo Boer War.

De Villiers, Christelle

PretoriaUntitledMixed media77,5cm x 104cm x 32cm

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East LondonOld goal seriesMixed media

(Triptych)a) 56,5cm x 68cmb) 56,5cm x 68cmc) 56,5cm x 68cm

De Wet, Bevan Jordan

Door no 37

Profile: De Wet was born in1985 and is currently studyingBA(FA) at Rhodes University,Grahamstown.

Description of artwork:This series was inspired by thedrawings on the cell walls in theold goal at Grahamstown. Whilethe images are simple, thecomplexity of emotion conveyedin each image can be attributedto each prisoner’s sense ofconfinement and struggle forfreedom. In this series De Wetused private and hiddenexperiences to reveal haunted andsolitary existence.

Du Preez, Michelle

Port ElizabethMuseum of memoriesMixed media(Five-part installation)56cm x 200cm x 200cm

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Profile: Du Preez was born inPort Elizabeth in 1985 and studiedfor the National Diploma in Fine Artsat the Nelson Mandela MetropolitanUniversity, Port Elizabeth.

Description of artwork:’Museum of memories’ is the titleof a series of works in glass thatexplore the notion of memory. Insome sense this is a quest forhappiness, a reflection of a state ofmind, a new beginning and thestriving for reconnections.According to the artist glass, asmedium, provokes intuitive feelingsof vividness and the sensation ofbeing visible yet untouchable.

JohannesburgGoodbye Afrikaans


Engelbrecht, Barend Jacobus (BJ)

Door no 39

Profile: Engelbrecht was born in1983 and studied BA(FA) at theUniversity of the Witwatersrand. Heis currently reading for an MA(FA)at the University of theWitwatersrand.

Description of artwork:This work has multiple meaningsand is open to interpretation. Itbegan quite spontaneously. Whilewatching Noot vir Noot one evening,as he has done a thousand timesbefore, it brought back memories ofhis mother shouting out song namesand lyrics before most of thecontestants could do the same. Nootvir Noot, then in its twenty secondseason but although he does notwatch it with his mother anymore,he wanted to capture this feeling ofloss, a lost moment, tradition, cultureand ritual.

As an Absa client he was assisted inEnglish by an Afrikaans-speakingwoman who struggled with Englishbut persevered. He ascertained thenthat Absa employees are restrictedto the use of English in theworkplace. This is understandableto some degree but also problematicand in this work he wants to stressthat BJ Engelbrecht or GoodbyeAfrikaans is in no way offering asolution.

Profile: Ferreira was born in 1976 and obtained aBA(FA) as well as an MA(FA) from the University ofStellenbosch. He has participated in several exhibitions,including the Volkskas Bank Atelier Exhibition in 1999and the Absa L’Atelier Exhibitions in 2003 and 2004.

Description of artwork: This is a narrativedealing mainly with the idea of invasion – whether ona personal, cultural, religious or political level.

Ferreira, Rikus

BellvilleOu storie rou storiePen and ink on paper84cm x 102,5cm

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PretoriaThe slippery finch

Photography122,5cm x 104,5cm

Ferguson, Sophia Margaretha (Retha)

Door no 41

Profile: Ferguson was born in1984 and is currently studying BA(FA)at the University of Pretoria.

Description of artwork:This work explores the continuousyearning for a specificallyunattainable and idealistic moment.The concept applies specifically tophotography where people alwayswant to capture the ‘perfect’ momentand make it last for ever. Thismoment, however, always seems toescape us and results in a constantunfulfilled longing for somethingjust out of reach. The result is thatwe never experience the actualpresent moment for what it shouldbe and often miss the beauty of theseemingly insignificant.

With the cage, the work plays a punon the double meaning of capturein the photographic sense (capturean image) and in the sense ofcatching or seizing a bird. The birdin this context stands as a metaphorfor the ideal moment.

Description of artwork: With ‘Shadow matinée’the artist pays tribute to the beauty of light in the lateafternoon. In her title she refers to the theatre as she sees

the way in which light and shadows play at that time ofthe day, as a beautiful theatrical performance.

Ferguson, Sophia Margaretha (Retha)

PretoriaShadow matinéePhotography64,5cm x 85,5cm

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BellvilleThe distance between us III

Mixed media106,5cm x 105cm

Fouché, Pierre

Door no 43

Profile: Fouché was born in 1977 and studied BA(FA)at the University of Stellenbosch, which he obtainedcum laude. He also studied MA(FA) at the University ofStellenbosch, which he also obtained with distinction.He has participated in several exhibitions, includingthe Absa L’Atelier Exhibitions in 2004 and 2005.

Description of artwork: The work is an‘unfinished’ tapestry depicting two young men posingfor a photograph on the beach. The one figurerepresents the artist’s father who is shying, ever soslightly, away from the touch of the muscular armresting on his shoulder. A touch is seldom removedfrom the possibility of its disavowal.

Profile: Fuller was born in 1974 and studied BA(FA).

Description of artwork: This photograph wastaken by a camera with specially designed multiplelenses. It was created to allow each of the views

witnessed by the independent apertures to bleed intoone another. This opens up the possibility of creatinga new compound of what reality represents. Wherethere are no absolutes but instead faint suggestions,a probability of what might have been was created.

Fuller, St John James Zair

PretoriaI forget whyPhotography156cm x 107,5cm

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PretoriaEdna magazine (Celebrity)

Mixed media151,5cm x 30cm x 68cm

Gee, Edna

Door no 45

Profile: Gee was born in 1984and studied BA(FA) at theUniversity of Pretoria.

Description of artwork:This installation consists of aperspex magazine stand and fourdigitally printed magazines. Theseimages explore the concepts ofglamour and celebrity culture.

Profile: Gutter was born in 1980and obtained a BA(FA) degree at theUniversity of the Free State. She hasparticipated in several exhibitions,including the Absa L’AtelierExhibitions in 2002, 2003, 2004,2005 and 2006.

Description of artwork:At first glance it is quite clear that thebullet-proof window adds extraemotion. It gives the impression thatthe message on the DVD does notonly demonstrate a collage of‘propaganda’ orientatedphenomenon, concerning theannihilation of common farmers, butexpose real live events. Once flawlessand unbreakable, the defeated bullet-proof window now confronts theonlooker. This installation gives us amultidimensional feeling adding tothe realism of being put into theshoes of one who survived a farmattack.

Gutter, Pauline Gertruida

BloemfonteinBullet proofDVD installation4 min 15 sec

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PretoriaOorsig/Oorskot

Mixed media87cm x 200cm x 200cm

Hefer, Marleon

Door no 47

Profile: Hefer was born in 1983 and studied BA(FA)at the University of Pretoria.

Description of artwork: This work deals witha non-comprehensive view on the history of semi-SouthAfrican icons which are depicted in a photo album. The

book contains figures that are all to an extent immersedin a sea of suspicion due to either a certain lifestyle,standard, a specific event or maybe a mere hairstyle.Each nation has its heroes and its mobs; a group ofsensitive characters that play a defining role in acountry’s identity. This book is dedicated to them.

Profile: Hendrikz was born in 1980 and studied for theBTech(FA) degree at the Tshwane University of Technology.

Description of artwork: There are differentaspects to the symbolism of rocks, but the most obvious

is that of unchanged motionlessness. The structure ofthe artwork is of such a nature that it portrays motionor movement as well as notions of origin in nature,leaving traces of its source in fossilised earthly imagery.

Hendrikz, Roan

PretoriaTransfor’motionMixed media200cm x 200cm x 200cm

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DurbanMy hero

Mixed media76,5cm x 52cm

Hlongwa, Bongumusa

Door no 49

Profile: Hlongwa was born in 1984.He is currently studying for theNational Diploma in Fine Arts at theDurban Institute of Technology.

Description of artwork:Brett Kebble is the artist’s herobecause of his support andencouragement of artists. Heassociated his hero, Kebble, with itsking of the jungle ‘lion’ and the‘leopard’, which is associated withthe Zulu Kingdom because of its skinthe Zulus wear. By using theseelements he tries to portray Kebble’spower, inspiration and gift of takingcare of other people.

Jansen van Rensburg, Martli

PretoriaConversations with historyMixed media200cm x 200cm x 200cm

50

Profile: Jansen van Rensburg wasborn in 1977 and studied for theNational Diploma in Fine Arts at theTechnikon Pretoria. She also studiedfor the BTech(FA) degree at theTechnikon Pretoria. She is currentlyreading for an MTech(FA) degree atthe Tshwane University ofTechnology. She has participated inseveral exhibitions, including theAbsa L’Atelier Exhibitions in 2004and 2005.

Description of artwork:This artwork is all about people whomake their mark in many differentways. They capture a moment in timeas well as in memory. They rewriteand redefine history, ideas, concepts,images, forms, patterns, art anddesign. Jansen van Rensburg took apicture of an historical moment.

PretoriaCircle on line

Mixed media195,5cm x 18cm x 36,5cm

Jansen van Rensburg, Martli

Door no 51

Description of artwork:The artist interactively combinesthrough installation and fusion,‘pure form’ objects and symbols inspace. She explores the dynamics of‘non-functional’ objects left in space.The wall becomes the straight lineand the glass and felt the circle.

Profile: Jansen van Rensburgwas born in 1970 and studied forthe BTech(FA) degree at theTechnikon Pretoria.

Description of artwork:This work embodies a smallvoodoo type doll that portrays theabsurdity of the mixed culturesand at the same time appropriateseach other’s customs wrongly.

Jansen van Rensburg, Sarel Petrus

PretoriaOverstandMixed media39cm x 21,5cm x 30cm

52

PretoriaWhite room

Video2 min 24 sec

Jooste, Liebet Marie

Door no 53

Profile: Jooste was born in 1983 and studied BA(FA)at the University of Pretoria.

Description of artwork: The application ofwhite paint in this video is a symbol of the artist’s

peaceful confrontation and reflection of her journeywith anxiety disorder: Introspection, sadness,bewilderment, tenseness, distraction, insecureness,looking in the wrong places and drunkenness.

Profile: Keith was born in 1972 and studied BA(FA) atthe University of Pretoria. She also studied MA(FA) at theUniversity of Stellenbosch. She has participated in severalexhibitions, including the Volkskas Bank Atelier Exhibitionin 1996 and the Absa L’Atelier Exhibition in 2006.

Description of artwork: The artist isquestioning potential hero-ness such as lily-livered Pac-men or shiny knights. According to her it turns out thatthey are equally burlesque and creepy.

Keith, Marlise

BellvilleThe inkling wars: Saints and cavitiesMixed media120cm x 200cm

54

BellvilleNight shelter

Newspaper and metal110cm x 154cm x 15cm

Le Roux, Angeline-Ann Johanna

Door no 55

Profile:Le Roux was born in 1973 and studied BVA atUnisa.

Description of artwork: ‘Night shelter’ is athree dimensional work executed mainly from newspapers(the paper of the people), the bedding of the homeless. Thewoven newspaper squares are linked by a chain whichforms an integral part of the bed and symbolises themanner in which all humans are linked by biological factors

all requiring the same basic necessities for survival. Weavingrepresents the complex interwoven qualities of socialstructure. The work focuses on shelter as the most basicrequirement of human survival and the bed (place to sleep)embodies the intrinsic private place, so essential to theconcept of home. The frayed edges serve to emphasize thelack of stability experienced when people are uprooted andwithout protection or shelter. The bed rests on springs, areference to comfort.

Profile: Liesching was born in 1985 and is currentlystudying BA(FA) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Description of artwork: The focus of thisparticular series centres on personal identity relatedto history. The view of identity as representation andartifice as well identity as fiction or a series of narratives

are also explored. The aim was to explore the dynamicsat play in the construction of the artist’s own nationalidentity, namely that of a white South African with aGerman/Dutch heritage. She used herself, her boyfriend,her sister and a close friend as models at play posingas a family unit.

Liesching, Carla Elizabeth

East LondonUntitledPhotography(Six-part)64cm x 54cm each

56

East LondonAssimilation

Video1 min 3 sec

Lindi, Nyaniso

Door no 57

Profile: Lindi was born in 1973 and studied BA(FA)at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, which he did notcomplete.

Description of artwork: As a young SouthAfrican Xhosa, who grew up in the Eastern Cape, theartist finds it difficult to erase the imbedded idea thatthe previous generation could not think independently.

Many questions came to the fore regarding Nongqawuseand her visionary abilities.

Nongqawuse was used as a reference to create thisanimation entitled ‘Assimilation’ because of theassimilation of people into the western way of doingthings, i.e. talking, dressing, etc. The objective of thework was not to force the idea but to enable people tofill the missing clues and create their own meanings.

Profile: Lossgott was born in Germany in 1980 andstudied B(Journ) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Description of artwork: ‘Alpha’ is a videoexploring unspeakable embodied languages of recurrentloss and gain, such as memory or intuition, and thevulnerability and violence whereby any identity is formed.Lossgott found an address book in a demolished apartmentin Cape Town. The page for A had been torn out. The restwas blank, except for one address, under B for Beatrice. This

woman seemed the only person the owner of the bookhad ever really known.

If you repeatedly forgot every person you knew, and searchedfor ciphers that might remain, you might in your surrenderdiscover the approach of some imaginary person, half-sensed, half-glimpsed by intuition. Not a ghost, not anarchetype exactly, but an empty form waiting to be filled,something like an unspoken, unremembered word.

Lossgott, Kai

JohannesburgAlphaVideo3 min 3 sec

58

PretoriaYear of the pig

Photography(Four-part)

a) 54,5cm x 48,5cmb) 54,5cm x 48,5cmc) 46,5cm x 48,5cmd) 46,5cm x 48,5cm

Lotz, Hannah-Ada (Paton)

Door no 59

Profile: Lotz was born in 1974 and studied BusinessCommunication at the University of Potchefstroom.She also studied BA Journalism at Unisa. She hasparticipated in several exhibitions, including the AbsaL’Atelier Exhibition in 2005 where she was selected asone of the top ten finalists.

Description of artwork: The year of the piggreeted us on 18 February 2007 and stays with us until6 February 2008. This year ends the 12-year cycle ofChinese astrology that started with the year of the rat.

The year of the pig always brings completion, endingin grandeur and perfection.

Lotz’s Chinese sign is the tiger. She thought itappropriate to make a close and personal connectionwith the pig. The three little pigs were first to come tomind. Not only did she find it humorous but also agood example of how eastern and western cultureshave different connections and expectations regardingthe same subject matter.

Profile: Lüneburg was born in 1982 and studied BA(FA)at the University of Pretoria. She also studied MA(FA) at theUniversity of Pretoria. She has participated in severalexhibitions, including the Absa L’Atelier Exhibition in 2004,where she was selected as one of the top ten finalists. Shealso participated in the Absa L’Atelier Exhibitions in 2005and 2006, where she was selected as a merit award winner.

Description of artwork: ‘If I did(n’t)’ is a visualmetaphor for the sorrow, confusion and barenesslingering in a woman’s heart after and during the processof an abortion. Through this stop-frame animation, the

artist has chosen to illustrate the corporeal as well asthe psychosomatic struggles evident in the complicatedchoice-making process involving termination ofpregnancy. It focuses on the emotional theatre of warpresent in the mind of an awaiting mother-to-be. Theimages of the black and white figure performing an actof unity and then a mutual disappearing act, suggestthe relationship between the opposites in the femalecharacter’s mind. It explores the collapse of boundariesbetween moralities and immoralities; wrong and rightand just and unjust during the female character’sdecision-making.

Lüneburg, Nathani

PretoriaIf I did(n’t)Video3 min 46 sec

60

ThohoyandouThe listener

Ceramic47cm x 29cm x 35cm

Mabasa, Patrice Mashangu

Door no 61

Profile: Mabasa was born in 1973 and studied forthe BTech(FA) degree at the Technikon of theWitwatersrand. He has participated in the Absa L’AtelierExhibitions in 2005 and 2006 He also received an AbsaL’Atelier Merit Award in 2005.

Description of artwork: This artwork depictsa man who likes to listen to the news over the radio.

Description of artwork: Mafenya means tolaugh in Tsonga. Mr Mafenya is thus a person who likesto laugh.

Mabasa, Patrice Mashangu

ThohoyandouMr MafenyaCeramic47,5cm x 31,5cm x 36cm

62

East LondonAnguish of poverty

Paint and clay65cm x 20cm x 19,5cm

Mabindla, Bayanda

Door no 63

Profile: Mabindla was born in1984 and obtained a NationalDiploma in Fine Arts at the WalterSisulu University, East London.

Description of artwork:Poverty is a phenomenon thataffects every person directly orindirectly. The stove with its flamesthat keeps burning is a symbol ofpoverty. The anguished facescreams daily for relief from poverty.

Profile: Maphangwa was born in 1985 and obtaineda National Diploma in Fine Arts from the University ofJohannesburg. She is currently studying for theBTech(FA) degree at the University of Johannesburg.

Description of artwork: The work of artinvestigates the connections between Europe and Africain terms of their spirituality and notions regarding theirbelief systems. The work endeavours to draw the linebetween the familiar and unfamiliar subject matter.

Maphangwa, Shonisani

JohannesburgViewing ToledoAcrylic on canvas(Triptych)a) 60,5cm x 25cmb) 60,5cm x 50cmc ) 60,5cm x 25cm

64

JohannesburgThe politicians

Wood and paint48,5cm x 28cm x 14,5cm

Maswanganyi, Collen

Door no 65

Profile: Maswanganyi was born in the village ofNoblehook, Giyani, in 1977. He obtained the NationalDiploma in Fine Arts at the Technikon of theWitwatersrand. His father, the well-known sculptor,Johannes Maswanganyi, taught him woodcarving. Hehas participated in several exhibitions nationally andinternationally, and received several awards. He was

selected as one of the top ten finalists of the AbsaAtelier Exhibition in 2001.

Description of artwork: Four wooden figuresare carved and placed on a wooden base with the DA, ANCand ID logos carved onto the base. The artwork portraysthe many identities of politicians and how unpredictablethey are. It is left to the viewer to identify them.

Profile: Matthews was born in 1982 and studied forthe National Diploma in Fine Arts at the NelsonMandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth. Heobtained the BTech(FA) degree cum laude from theNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth.He has participated in several exhibitions, includingthe Absa L’Atelier Exhibition in 2006.

Description of artwork: A chair is an extensionof the organic human form, an after-image of its anatomy.

Conversely, it is structurally dependant on the most rigidand ordered of human ideas, namely, the right angle. Oneof the most elementary expressions of the right anglebeing the cross, the Christian myth of a ‘man-god’ isunavoidably implicated, his death a consummation of theconcord with materiality. And so the chair becomesrepresentative of concepts dealing not only with religionand mortality or materiality but with broader notions ofhumanity’s philosophical interactions with itself.

Matthews, Wayne

Port ElizabethSheath your sorrowsMixed media(Triptych)a) 92,5cm x 44,5cm x 49cmb) 110cm x 54cm x 56cmc ) 98cm x 53,5cm x 53cm

66

Port ElizabethEuropa’s libation

Mixed media46cm x 58cm x 37cm

Matthews, Wayne

Door no 67

Description of artwork:’Europa’s libation’ is a metaphoricapplication of salt to the wound. Anarchaic ‘waterbankie’ or ‘washer-woman’s bench’ is symbolicallypreserved in a crystallised layer of salt,suspending the work in an ephemeralprocess. The work extracts moisturefrom the air and transports it, alongwith some salt, to the tray below.Accompanying the materialmovement of the salt is, moreimportantly, conceptual movement; aflux of implicated meaning that isevoked by the material’s vast cultural,anthropological and symbolicsignificances.

Profile: McLachlan was born in 1974 and obtained aBA degree from the University of Natal, majoring in Artand Drama. He has participated in several exhibitions,including the Absa Atelier Exhibition in 2001, the AbsaL’Atelier Exhibitions in 2002, 2003, 2004 , 2005 and 2006.He also received an Absa L’Atelier Merit Award in 2002.

Description of artwork: Having lived 19 floorsabove ground in the middle of downtown

Johannesburg for 4 years, the artist became accustomedto and yet continually amazed by the unique dichotomythat is Johannesburg. The inspiration for thisphotograph came about while witnessing a rathersimple, everyday ritual namely that of someone bathing.Simple yet distinctly unique, and vastly removed fromthe artist’s own experience. It gave him the feeling ofrealness, which was significant.

McLachlan, Alastair James

JohannesburgBath house I, 2006Photography98cm x 123cm

68

JohannesburgCoffee stains

Mixed media(Triptych)

a) 26cm x 34,5cmb) 26cm x 34,5cmc) 26cm x 34,5cm

Mdluli, Same Sizakele

Door no 69

Profile: Mdluli was born in 1983 and studied for theNational Diploma in Fine Arts at the Technikon of theWitwatersrand. She also studied for the BTech(FA) degreeat the University of Johannesburg. She has participated inseveral exhibitions, including the Absa L’Atelier Exhibitionsin 2005 and 2006. She also received several awards.

Description of artwork: ‘Coffee stains’ formpart of a larger body of work which deals with the notionsof categorisation of objects made specifically by blackwomen. Through the use of western domestic subjectsand modes of production, such as lace, doilies and plates,the works resemble objects often found in western

homes, which are very often perceived as decorativeand/or kitsch within the artistic discourse. The coffeespills were made by using a coffee mug to form patternsof doilies which are common in many South Africanhomes. It also speaks about a sense of sameness in allhomes and refers to the reality of many women of colourwho often do domestic work in many western homes.As much as these works may seem to reflect, what mightbe considered in the art world as sentimental or evenbad taste, their intention is to comment on the natureof patriarchal categorisation of work made by womenacross all cultures.

Profile: Mudau was born in 1974 and studied for theN2 and N3 Diploma in Arts and Design at theDobsonville College, Johannesburg.

Description of artwork: The artist attemptsto portray through this work, the immediate attackwithout warning and with the aim to kill, disastersbestowed on humankind, such as the tsunami.

Mudau, Rendani Ronald

ThohoyandouDzumbulukwaneWood120cm x 140cm x 75cm

70

JohannesburgI join series II

Mixed media40,5cm x 51cm x 23,5cm

Ngilima, Farrell

Door no 71

Profile: Ngilima was born in 1973 and studied forthe National Diploma in Fine Arts at the Technikon ofthe Witwatersrand.

Description of artwork: In this instance thesuitcase is used metaphorically as an object implyingtravelling, journeying, etc. Here the title suggestsbelonging to a group, organisation, incarceration, etc.

Ngwane, Andiswa Astrid

DurbanUntitledMixed media107cm x 65cm

72

Profile: Ngwane was born in1983 and is currently studying FineArts at the Durban University ofTechnology.

Description of artwork:This artwork is an enlargedscanned photograph of the artistherself. She questions the notionof originality and also debates theissue of the role and relevance ofthe artist versus that of digitalmedia. Furthermore she framedthe image behind glass and usedreal fabric to create a heightenedsense of suffocation which theimage implies.

East LondonStatic bind and knot

Mixed media56,5cm x 117,5cm

Nkosinkulu, Zingisa

Door no 73

Profile: Nkosinkulu was born in 1984 and is currentlystudying for the National Diploma in Fine Arts at theNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth.

Description of artwork: This artwork is ametaphoric representation of currency, which is usedto pay the electricity. These discs are used to pay forentry into the municipality system, otherwise you willbe left in the dark.

Profile: O’Flynn was born in 1971 and studied BA(FA)at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of CapeTown. He has participated in several exhibitions, includingthe Absa L’Atelier Exhibitions in 2004 and 2005.

Description of artwork: The sunseekers arerepresentatives of South African tourism. They negatethe hole in the ozone, political upheaval or racialinequality favouring a two week holiday on Clifton andan escape from their culturally loaded European history.

O’Flynn, Norman Arthur

BellvilleSunseekersMixed media(Diptych)a) 21cm x 10,5cm x 11cmb) 21,5cm x 12cm x 11cm

74

East LondonRoles

Photography(Six-part)

67cm x 57cm each

Pelser, Monique Myren

Door no 75

Profile: Pelser was born in 1976 and studied BA(FA)at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. She also obtainedan MA(FA) degree with distinction from RhodesUniversity.

Description of artwork: The six photographs,which are details of a larger body of work of fifty images,

are an interrogation of the dynamics between thephotographer and sitter, involved in portraitphotography. The artist took on a process of role-reversalwhere she consciously became an object of the gazeand the sitter took on the role of the photographer andphotographed the artist. The artist literally placedherself in their role and into their environment.

Profile: Pokroy was born in 1986 and is currentlystudying BA(FA) at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Description of artwork: These four images areall interpretations of relatively well-known images, namelyPaul Delaroche’s The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, DavidEdwards’ Untitled (Aids Pietà) and Pierre et Gilles’ St Louisde Gonzague. The work deals with the process of reinventingrecognisable images and applying them to the social, and

even personal, context of herself as an artist. For example,the universal image of the pietà was reworked by Edwardsand in turn, reinterpreted by the artist. Each adaptionacknowledges the fundamental concerns of the originalimage (although, the question arises, what is the trueoriginal?). Yet, it is transformed into timeless issuesexperienced even in contemporary life. Existential questionsof relationships, religion and identity are broached.

Pokroy, Anthea Tracy

JohannesburgUntitledPhotography(Four-part)a) 24,5cm x 30,5cmb) 30,5cm x 24,5cmc ) 24,5cm x 30,5cmd) 24,5cm x 30,5cm

76

BellvilleStudy of a drawing studio study

Mixed media103cm x 200cm

Pretorius, Gert Hendrik

Door no 77

Profile: Pretorius was born in1985 and is currently studying BA(FA)at the University of Stellenbosch.

Description of artwork:Pretorius works with the concept ofidentity. In this work he uses hisprivileged background andeducation to satirise contemporarySouth African society.

Profile: Prins was born in 1981and studied for the BTech(FA)degree at the Durban Institute ofTechnology. She has participatedin several exhibitions, includingthe Absa L’Atelier Exhibitions in2005 and 2006.

Description of artwork:The artist attempts to comment oncontemporary society’s impulse tocreate and alternate therepresentation of reality in order tosell lifestyles to the indifferent. Thework appears to be dirty and old witha missing portrait of an arbitraryperson, yet an applause is visuallydemanded and the broader societysurrenders to the intentionallycreated, exciting stimulation.

Prins, Elizabeth (Liezel)

DurbanApplauseMixed media122cm x 68cm x 12,5cm

78

ThohoyandouPortrait of my brother

Oil on canvas85,5cm x 61cm

Ramadi, Thikholwi Bethuel

Door no 79

Profile: Ramadi was born in 1984.

Description of artwork:This artwork is a portrait of theartist’s brother.

Profile: Rosin was born in 1975 and studied for theNational Diploma in Fine Arts at the Port ElizabethTechnikon. He also obtained his BTech(FA) degree cumlaude.

Description of artwork: ‘War toy’ is a simplifieddescription of a system to assist calculations andpossible predictions of the occurrence of war.

Rosin, Stephen John

BellvilleWar toyMixed media26cm x 32cm x 45,5cm

80

BellvilleUit die mond van die Afrikaner

Photography(Triptych)

a) 100cm x 68,5cmb) 105cm x 75,5cmc) 100cm x 68,5cm

Saayman, Wynand Philippus

Door no 81

Profile: Saayman was born in 1984 and studiedBA(FA) at the University of Stellenbosch.

Description of artwork: The artist is currentlybusy with a project where he is investigating his ownidentity and that of his family. His further interest liesin the visual image of the white Afrikaner male and theinfluence the media has on the portrayal of the subject.

Profile: Sales was born in 1973 and studied BA(FA)(Printmaking) at the University of Cape Town, where sheobtained the degree with distinction. She studied MA(FA)at the University of Cape Town, which she also obtainedwith distinction. She has participated in several exhibitions,including the Absa Atelier Exhibition in 2001 and the AbsaL’Atelier Exhibitions in 2003 and 2004. She was also selectedas one of the top ten finalists of the Absa L’Atelier Exhibitionsin 2003 and 2005.

Description of artwork: The title of the piece isderived from the notion that as a child the artist believedthat the longer she held her breath the harder she waspraying and the stronger her message to God would be.The morning her farther died she held her breath andprayed that he would arrive home safely.

When she decided to explore the issues around theHelderberg plane crash, she set out to find a prototypelife vest to work from. Her research led her to a safetycompany affiliated to SAA. Without revealing what herintentions were with the vest, she was given an olddamaged life vest, which was exactly the same one thatwould have been on the Helderberg passenger aircraft.Every vest is stamped with a date of production.Coincidently the one given to her was stamped December1987. The accident occurred on 28 November 1987.

Sales, Lynda Dorothy (Lyndi)

BellvilleHow long can I hold my breathMixed media82cm x 72,5cm

82

This piece explores the paradox in the function of a physical life vest. Ironicallythe fragile life vests signify life and death and simultaneously symbolisesafety and danger. A parallel is drawn between the physical body and thematerial object. Deteriorating life vests are representative of lungs as asource of breath and life. The lung functions to inhale and exhale and thelife vest to perform in much the same way as it inflates and deflates.

It is believed that most of the passengers died of smoke inhalation due tothe toxic fire on board. The life vests imitate the fragility of life and act asa metaphor for a delicate existence and the fact that life and death areseparated by one breath.

JohannesburgThe clustered self

Mixed media(Diptych)

a) 50cm x 50cmb) 50cm x 50cm

Shadi, Lerato Mmathapelo Thato

Door no 83

Profile: Shadi was born in 1979 and obtained aNational Diploma in Fine Arts at the University ofJohannesburg. She also obtained a BTech(FA) degree atthe University of Johannesburg.

Decription of artwork: Shadi’s work examinesthe notion of sensuality and sexuality as a state ofmind, while simultaneously exposing skin as an eroticelement. The images expose the viewer’s preconceivednotions of intimacy and play into those ideals byproviding a catalyst in the form of abstract flesh thatmerely suggests, but reveals very little.

Profile: Spies was born in 1974 and studied BA(FA) atthe University of the Orange Free State. He hasparticipated in several exhibitions, including the VolkskasBank Atelier Exhibition in 1998, the Absa Atelier Exhibitionin 1999 and the Absa L’Atelier Exhibition in 2005.

Description of artwork: The subject matter ofthe animation consists of a typical South African ‘koppie’or small hill, although the one depicted in the animationis situated just outside Bloemfontein and is called Spitskop.The image of the koppie is built up gradually by theproliferation of markings which resemble map-like

elements. The animation thus simultaneously reads as avertical map as well as a horizontal landscape. Before theimage of the koppie reaches completion, it starts breakingdown. This is not, however, constant during the animation.The animation actually consists of approximately fortydifferent sections of animation, each on a different timelinelength, playing simultaneously on one screen to form awhole. Superficially the work might read as an attempt tohighlight the issues of land reclamation and redistribution,which is a current issue within the contemporary SouthAfrican cultural and political landscape.

Spies, Theodorus, Ignatius Jacobus (Jaco)

BloemfonteinPalimpsest koppieAnimationInfinite time

84

PretoriaDemo kracy is coming

Digital mono print80cm x 160cm

Steyn, Ras

Door no 85

Profile: Steyn was born in 1978 and studied for theBTech(FA) degree at the Port Elizabeth Technikon. Healso obtained an MTech(FA) degree cum laude. He hasparticipated in several exhibitions, including the AbsaL’Atelier Exhibition in 2006.

Description of artwork: This work consistsof four distorted human bodies combined with insect-like images. Metaphorically it forms a biological bodywhich serves as a metaphor for socio-politicalcircumstances.

Profile: Stretton was born in 1980and obtained a BA(FA) at RhodesUniversity, Grahamstown withdistinction. She also obtained anMA(FA) at the University of CapeTown with distinction. She hasparticipated in several exhibitions,including the Absa L’AtelierExhibitions in 2003 and 2006.

Stretton, Pamela Jayne

BellvilleThe ambivalence of eating #1Mixed media101,5cm x 101,5cm

86

BellvilleThe ambivalence of eating #2

Mixed media101,5cm x 101,5cm


Door no 87

Description of artwork:Each of these images shows themouth in a specific pose: open, half-open with the tongue visible andclosed. These images could be readas some of the ambiguous responsiveactions many women feel towardsfood and eating. On closer inspectionthe works boast another elemententirely. The digital print is pixelatedinto a mosaic-type grid, with eachpixel containing a form oficonography (sourced from variousrealms such as food packaging, healthand beauty products or fashionimagery). The methods used to createthese works involve a controlled andprecise re-working of the prints in theform of cutting up the individualpixels and rebuilding the images toproduce a textured and tactile surfacequality. This serves to reflect on theobsessive control many women exerton their bodies in the name of beautyand which is often played out in theform of eating disorders, whether itbe overeating or undereating.


BellvilleThe ambivalence of eating #3Mixed media101,5cm x 101,5cm

88

PretoriaBinne my A, B en C


Swanepoel, Nicolene

Door no 89

Profile: Swanepoel was born in 1978 and obtaineda BTech(FA) degree cum laude from the CentralUniversity of Technology, Free State.

Description of artwork: This work focuseson images of a brain scan through which introspectionis possible.

Profile: Swarts was born in 1982and studied BA(FA) at the Universityof Pretoria, which she obtained withdistinction. She has participated inseveral exhibitions, including theAbsa L’Atelier Exhibition in 2004.

Description of artwork:This work can be described as aradio installation which consists ofeleven radios mounted onto threeplywood panels connected to threecattle horns, which represents thespeakers. It can be described as acontemporary mural for a newSouth Africa and comments on thecurrent language dilemma we arefacing in South Africa.

Swarts,Talita

PretoriaKwere-kwereMixed media installation200cm x 200cm x 24,5cm

90

Port ElizabethAll for glory

Mixed media(four-part)

66cm x 42,5cm x 15cm each

Taljaard, Johannes Zacharias (Zach)

Door no 91

Profile: Taljaard was born in 1978 and studied BA(FA)at the University of Pretoria. He has participated inseveral exhibitions, including the Absa L’AtelierExhibitions in 2000 and 2003.

Description of artwork: By photographingdifferent self-portrait busts and displaying them astraditional portrait photographs, the artist refers to boththese traditions as immortalisation of individuals. Portraitsculpture, associated with funerary contexts, was meantto honour political officials or military commanders, asphotographs later did. This instinctive need to praise

power, triumph and bravery is mockingly glorified withthe addition of a man-made golden light above eachportrait, creating a surrounding radiance or halo usuallyassociated with a sacred person. On closer inspectionthe portraits show signs of damage and is literally wornout by reproduction using the same mould. Their robesbecome millstones around their necks. Centuries of lustfor power, destruction and wealth, clearly burdeningtheir shoulders and at the same time, burdening thesons with inherited guilt. Do we want to aspire to thisflawed tradition of ‘all for glory’?

Profile: Thompson was born in 1982 and studied forthe BTech(FA) degree at the Nelson Mandela MetropolitanUniversity, Port Elizabeth.

Description of artwork: This animation dealswith modern capitalist society and its effect on thehuman mind. It looks specifically at our culture ofprescription and social conventions.

Thompson, Wesley John

Port ElizabethAn ointmentDigital animation4 min 45 sec

92

PretoriaOut of darkness I,II, III

Digital photographic prints(Triptych)

a) 60cm x 42cmb) 60cm x 42cmc) 60cm x 42cm

Truter, Carmen Estelle

Door no 93

Profile: Truter was born in 1975and studied BVA at Unisa. She iscurrently reading for an MVA atUnisa.

Description of artwork:The three panels have a mottleddark background with red/orangeflesh revealed through the removeddarkness. In appearance these flesh-like parts resemble fishing lures andcocoons. The organisms resembletransformation.

Profile: Tully was born in 1976 and studied MA(FA)at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Description of artwork: These works belongto a body of work that explores the camera (or opticalartefact) as a device and the notion of the mundaneor incidental subject, as a vehicle for sublime andsometimes meaningful interpretation and

representation. An important aspect of this work is theirony of rendering seemingly undeserving content withthe long-standing and esteemed practice of oil painting.This parody is amusing and also provocatively positionsthis work within the discourse of reinventing painting,painterly virtuosity and the painted subject in the ageof the anti-artist.

Tully, Ann-Marie Patricia

JohannesburgJet Park roofscape: Low res/North and South viewOil on canvas(Diptych)a) 29,5cm x 37,5cmb) 29,5cm x 37,5cm

94

BellvilleWallflower (Set I)

Mixed media(Diptych)

a) 177cm x 62cmb) 193cm x 62cm

Van Eeden, Adrienne

Door no 95

Profile: Van Eeden was born in 1980 and studied BA(FA)at the University of Stellenbosch, which she obtained cumlaude. She also obtained an MA(FA) with distinction at thesame university. She has participated in several exhibitions,including the Absa L’Atelier Exhibitions in 2002 and 2003.

Description of artwork: The work consistsprimarily of two pieces of wallpaper with intricate floralpatterns from which all the flowers and leaves havebeen removed. This process involves picking the surfacearound the flowers with a needle and then tearing eachobject out by hand. The result is an imperfect, fragileand worked surface. The title references not only theliteral art object, but also the colloquial use of the term.

Profile: Walters was born in 1983 and is currentlystudying BA(FA) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Description of artwork: This diptych uses theterms ‘object’ and ‘subject’ to refer to the human bodyin the states of death and life. Through the restricted

use of colour (cool tones/warm tones) and facialmovement (eyes shut/open), it is intended for the viewerto read these paintings as an inversion of the life/deathbinary thereby opening up the possibility of ametaphorical and literal resurrection.

Walters, John Attwood Vereker

East LondonObject/subject (Self-portraits)Oil on canvas(Diptych)a) 64cm x 85,5cmb) 64cm x 85,5cm

96

JohannesburgNew signature

Inkjet print25cm x 30cm

Western, Natalie Anne (Rat)

Door no 97

Profile: Western was born in 1981 and studied BA(FA)as well as MA(FA) at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Description of artwork: A competition whichaims to acknowledge and promote the career of anemerging artist needs to examine not only the artwork

submitted for judging, but also the current practiceand achievements of the artist concerned. The worksubmitted for this competition is a copy of the cheque,which the artist received as a runner-up in an artcompetition held in 2006.

Whitehead, Johanna Jacoba (Hanje)

JohannesburgTrike-o-printMixed media159cm x 102cm x 192cm

98

Profile: Whitehead was born in 1985 and is currentlystudying BA(FA) at the University of Pretoria.

Description of artwork: The concept of thispiece is based on the effects that modern life has onsensuality and sexuality. The patterns the artist designedrepresent femininity, which becomes a decorative aspect

of contemporary society. The patterns were designed tomake up a print, which represents infinity, symbolisingconsumerism as a wheel turning, having no beginningand no end. With repetition of these elements of sensualityand sexuality in the media, we have become apathetic toourselves and the beauty of sensuality.

Previous Absa L’Atelier Winners

Door no 99

1986Winner

Penny SiopisMerit Award Winners

Deborah BellAndrew Breebaart

Dennis PurvisSimon Stone

1987Winner

Clive van den BergMerit Award Winners

Andries BothaPhilippa Hobbs

Tommy MotswaiKarel Nel

1988Winner

Diane VictorMerit Award Winners

Kay CowleyGuy du Toit

Johann LouwMargaret Vorster

1989Winner

Hennie StroebelMerit Award Winners

Caroline JonesWalter Oltmann

Giulio TambelliniJeremy Wafer

1990Winner

Barend de WetMerit Award Winners

Andrew BreebaartJean Bruwer

Guy du ToitJudy Woodborne

1991Winner

Virginia MacKennyMerit Award Winners

Nicole DonaldRuth Mileham

Johann van der SchijffPierre van der Westhuizen

1992Winner

Paul EdmundsMerit Award Winners

Wayne BarkerMarc Edwards

Dominic ThorburnMinnette Vári

1993Winner

Dominic ThorburnMerit Award Winners

Siemon AllenDiek GroblerAdam LetchRussel Scott

1994Winner

Jonathan ComerfordMerit Award Winners

Andrew PutterKevin Roberts

Henk SerfonteinAlastair Whitton

(Known as Volkskas Bank Atelier Competition up to 1998 andfrom 1999 to 2001 known as Absa Atelier Competition)

Previous Absa L’Atelier Winners

100

1995WinnerKevin RobertsMerit Award WinnersMoses CetywayoGordon FroudDiek GroblerPeet Pienaar

1996WinnerIsaac KhanyileMerit Award WinnersHanneke BenadéWim BothaSamkelo BunuBerco Wilsenach

1997WinnerIlse PahlMerit Award WinnersLucas BamboCecile HeystekKim LiebermanRichardt Strydom

1998WinnerKarl GietlMerit Award WinnersWayne BarkerHanneke BenadéJean BrundritPeter Rippon

1999WinnerRyan ArensonMerit Award WinnersBrad HammondFritha LangermanAlbert RedelinghuysVanessa van Wyk

2000WinnerBrad HammondMerit Award WinnersJoni BrennerNatasha ChristopherColbert MashileNigel Mullins

2001WinnerStefanus RademeyerMerit Award WinnersMarco CianfanelliDaniel HirschmannBrent MeistreMerryn Singer

2002WinnerMarco CianfanelliMerit Award WinnersNatasha ChristopherAlastair McLachlanBenninghoff PurenJames Webb

2003WinnerSanell AggenbachMerit Award WinnersRetha BornmannNatasha ChristopherPatricia DriscollBerco Wilsenach

2004WinnerConrad BotesMerit Award WinnersStephen HobbsPieter HugoLize MullerRobert RichGerard Sekoto WinnerBelinda Zangewa

2005WinnerBerco WilsenachMerit Award WinnersKatherine BullLawrence LemaoanaPatrice MabasaMikhael SubotzkyGerard Sekoto WinnerLawrence Lemaoana

2006WinnerRuth SacksMerit Award WinnersNathani LüneburgRiason NaidooAnet NorvalJames WebbGerard Sekoto WinnerNomusa Makhubu

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0326 absa 2007 l'atelier catalogue lowres