Local artists and designers are invited to the interactive PPC Imaginarium Awards workshop on Wednesday, May 28 from 9am to 4pm at the Association of Arts Pretoria. The workshop can accommodate a maximum of 25 people, at a cost of R100 a delegate, and will hopefully equip you to win your share of more than half-a-million rand in prize money.
The full-day practical workshop will demonstrate the versatility and best practices in working with concrete and judging criteria, as well as technical tips that are essential to facilitate the level of entries for the sculpture and jewellery categories.
It will be hosted by experts in the arts and concrete industry, including Kay Potts, the national chairwoman of the sculpture and jewellery categories, and Donovan Leach, technical marketing manager at PPC and contest judge.
The competition has evolved from its long-standing PPC Young Concrete Sculptor Awards, which was established in 1992 in partnership with the Association of Arts Pretoria, to the PPC Imaginarium Awards. It now comprises six categories that recognise innovation and design in architecture, film, sculpture, fashion, jewellery and industrial design.
Each category winner will get R50 000. The runner-up walks away with R15 000. The winners also stand a chance to receive the grand prize of R100 000 at the winners’ exhibition in February next year.
They will also receive exhibition opportunities and mentorship from various thought leaders in the respective industries.
“We encourage artists and designers to use the workshop as a platform to rethink the role of art and design with the medium of concrete. The potential of concrete is endless and lies in the person’s creativity and innovation,” said Potts.
The competition is open to South African citizens, those with residents’ permits and foreign students with study permits who are not professionally established in their respective fields. Entries may be submitted by individuals or teams, and artists and designers may enter as many categories as they would like to, with an original artwork for each category.
To book your seat at the PPC Imaginarium Awards workshop or for more information, contact Nandi Hilliard at the Association of Arts Pretoria on 012 346 3100 or e-mail [email protected]. Bookings close on Thursday.
• The FNB Joburg Art Fair, initiated by Artlogic, a leading African art fair which takes place this year in August 22 to 24 at the Sandton Convention Centre, will host 39 exhibitors from eight countries showing an array of significant modern and contemporary works from Africa and the diaspora. Galleries and art platforms from Europe through Africa are split into four sections: established galleries, young galleries, art platforms and special projects.
Special Projects is a curated selection of non-commercial programmes conceived in collaboration with invited curators and artists. This year will include Dialogues with Masters: Visual Perspectives on Two Decades of Democracy, curated by Thembinkosi Goniwe. This particular project invites contemporary artists to respond to works of 20th century South African masters such as Gerard Sekoto and Irma Stern.
Among the participating artists are names such as Georgina Gratrix, Malcolm Payne and Patrick Mautloa.
Invited curator Gabi Ngcobo will be presenting Working Title: Create, Curate, Collect: A Portrait in Three Parts – a conversation between Ngcobo, artist Megan Mace and a South African Collector.
Young Galleries, which has operated for less than three years, will present solo shows. Art Platforms is dedicated to art spaces focused on promoting contemporary art from a selection of not-for-profit initiatives, such as Lagos Photo Festival and ROOM in Joburg.
Director of the Fair, Ross Douglas, noted: “Too often talent has to leave Africa to find a market. What’s been amazing about building the FNB Joburg Art Fair is that we have helped to create a more sustainable art economy. By focusing on Lagos this year, we hope to further extend our vision across the continent.”
The FNB Joburg Art Fair was founded in 2008. From the beginning, Artlogic has aimed to bring together the best of contemporary art from Africa and create a platform for dialogue and exchange between the continent’s artists, curators, collectors, writers and art lovers.
Over the past six years the fair has also hosted top international curators and directors from institutions such as the Tate Modern and the Venice Biennale, all while building a solid base of buyers from South Africa and the continent.
The fair also supports a diverse Joburg Art Week with various events happening around Jozi, from workshops to walkabouts.