It's hard to believe that the Absa L'Atelier turns 20 this year.
As apparent with the Brett Kebble Art Awards, art prizes come and go in South Africa. The L'Atelier, however, scales new heights.
This prize money is now the biggest in the country, and the fringe benefits
unparalleled.
Some of the previous winners are Penny Siopis (1986), Clive van den Berg (1987),
Diane Victor (1988), Stephanus Rademeyer (2001) and Conrad Botes (2004).
The Gauteng entries, currently on exhibition at ABSA Gallery downtown, prove that the competition is indeed 'open'.
This year has seen more than 400 entries.
A selection committee under the leadership of Gordon Froud and David Andrew went through all the entries. This year they have selected approximately 30 works that will now compete on a national level. The winner will be announced on 18 July.
This year's finalists have their fingers on the pulse of the arts: from razor sharp sociopolitical commentary, like the works of Taryn Cohn on the recent election, to Elize de Wet's comic-book like sketches. Some work is about cultural ownership, like the personality of Riaan Cruywagen, who, for the last three decades, put the country to political sleep.
Another trend in the exhibition is the unique fingerprint that plays into the search and articulation of identity: Taryn Millar and Hannelie Coetzee should be mentioned in this regard. Also in this category, Nicole Liebenberg's work stands out: a photo of the back of a grey haired man, literally and figuratively a head above water.
The strongest work though, is in the current abstract painterly style, like the entries of Nathaniel Stern (Epics and anthologies), Alex Trapani (Focal pointless) and Elmarie Pretorius. These three artists know how the heart of the international art world beats.

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