The inclusion of digital/video art as exciting new medium that can now be entered for the New Breed Art Competition, promises to introduce a variety of exciting, new entrants to the 2021 competition.
Now in its fifth year, the New Breed Art Competition is presented by Phatshoane Henney Attorneys, in association with Oliewenhuis Art Museum, the Art Bank of South Africa and the Free State Art Collective, with the latter two having come on board this year as the latest partners to this one-of-a kind visual arts competition aimed at uncovering new and emerging Free State art and artists.
During the recent virtual launch of the 2021 competition attended by several artists via Zoom, Magdel Louw, Competition Coordinator and Marketing and PR Manager of Phatshoane Henney Attorneys, announced that digital or video art can now also be entered for the competition, in addition to the wide variety of other media allowed for entry such as photography, sculpture, textiles, paintings, drawings and even graphic art. Performance art, however, is excluded.
She strongly encouraged Free State artists to enter works in a diversity of mediums, with the important condition that all entered works must have been completed between 1 January 2020 and 13 September 2021.
"We find ourselves in a historic time in our lives, and art is the ideal medium for commentary and communication to allow the viewer to engage with the wide variety of historic events that dominated the past year. These events set forth unique experiences, changes and consequences – and we encourage all entrants this year to take the opportunity to reflect on this in their works," said Louw.
"Consider where we have been, where we are now or where we are going, or what we all – or you yourself – have went through. There is such a multitude of aspects to reflect on: be it trauma or growth, perhaps enlightenment or enrichment, or even looking at the insights or advances that has resulted from this past historic year. Precisely for this reason we encourage fresh, new art and a new way of looking at things - and also portraying this through your art."
The New Breed Art Competition offers R100 000 in prize money - with R50 000 to be awarded to the winner, R20 000 to the runner-up and R10 000 each to two Merit Award winners, as well as R10 000 to the Public Choice Award. The Public Choice Award allows the public to vote for their favourite artist on the official competition website (www.newbreedart.co.za) and thereby determine the winner thereof.
As a competition partner, the Art Bank of South Africa will be intimately involved in the competition, giving artists selected to participate in the New Breed Art Competition Exhibition a valuable opportunity to gain exposure with ArtbankSA, as well as attend a skills development workshop conducted by the Art Bank.
Furthermore, artists selected to participate in the New Breed Art Competition Exhibition at Oliewenhuis Art Museum, including the final winners, automatically qualify for consideration and possible inclusion in the Free State Art Collective, founded and headed up by Karen Brusch.
"Entering a competition such as the New Breed Art Competition and being chosen as a finalist, is an invaluable opportunity for growth. All artists who are serious about their careers enter competitions. It is a way of cultivating your art practice, being acknowledged as an artist and gaining visibility,” remarked Brusch in light of the launch of the 2021 competition last week.
"The New Breed Art Competition gives artists an open door for telling your unique stories, stories your ancestors have shared, or stories witnessed in the unfolding present. By the retelling of everything you are, ideas you are passionate about, and reweaving it in whatever medium you feel at home with, and doing this well, you will have an artwork to enter this competition with."
Entries take place from 13 to 19 September 2021 at Oliewenhuis Art Musuem, with the artists selected for the Competition Exhibition at Oliewenhuis Art Museum to be notified by 29 September. The Competition Exhibition will stretch from 5 October to 14 November. The final winners are to be announced on 4 November 2021.
The competition is open to new and emerging Free State-based artists 18 years or older (students included) and interested artists are encouraged to thoroughly read the entry form to ensure their entries comply with the clearly stated terms and conditions, and rules of participation.
Entry forms are available at www.newbreedart.co.za, Phatshoane Henney Attorneys at 35 Markgraaff Street and Oliewenhuis Art Museum in Bloemfontein.
Attachments
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NEWBREEDART2021EntryForm.pdf 4/29/2021 10:36:14 AM