Kind of modelled on the Turner prize, this competition works by open nomination for mid-career South African artists, then 10 semi-finalists are chosen by committee based on their work to date, 5 out of those will get a R20,000 budget – from proposals – to make a work or series (the stipulation from their funders being the piece or pieces have something to do with wax: be it medium, process or concept), and finally a winner gets about R130,000 at the launch of said culminating exhibition.
Last year’s show had mixed reviews, some criticising many of the pieces as fairly lame (tho everyone agreed that winner, Jeremy Wafer, had a very moving piece), others saying it was a schmoozfest for the elite. Me? I thought that given how little support there is for the arts in SA, how much money was thrown at it, how it was NOT engulfed by PR to fix a wrong-doing, like the Kebbles, and finally, how well it ran for its very first year of life (more than we can say for aforementioned Kebbles), it was great that it happened, and am glad to see it only get better from here on out. (Tho I also have higher hopes for Clive van den Berg’s – the second curator of the Kebbles – new project with Spier.)
Sasol’s semi-finalists were announced yesterday, and it’s an impressive list:
Sue Williamson, Prof. Keith Dietrich, Lien Botha, Avasone Mainganye, Noria Mbasa, Andrew Verster, Mbongeni Buthelezi, Wayne Barker and Walter Oltmann and Usha Seejarim.
Could be a really interesting year for them.
