To celebrate the competitions 30th year, Barclays L’Atelier was open to emerging artists from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia.    

However, all the top awards were scooped up by South African artists.

Pretoria’s Kai Lossgott walked away with top honours as winner of the overall award and main Barclays L’Atelier prize for his three minute long video installation Small and Common Matters.

As part of his prize, Lossgott wins a six-month art residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which includes return airfare, R150 000 cash for the residency and a solo exhibition at the Absa Gallery.

Natalie Moore from Johannesburg was awarded the Gerard Sekoto Award, sponsored by Alliance Française, for the most promising artist with an annual income of less than R60 000 for her photographic triptych of African people going about their daily lives titled Once upon a Time Jozi. As part of the Gerard Sekoto Award, Moore wins a three-month art residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which includes return airfare, a stipend and a travelling exhibition in South Africa.

The first merit award with a residency in Johannesburg as its prize was open to non-South Africans only. This was awarded to Kweku Ampadu Appah from Ghana for his mixed media piece, Worn Out Family.

The second merit award, which boasts a residency at the Kuns: Raum Foundation, Sylt Quelle, in Germany as its prize, was open to all entrants and was awarded to Nina Kruger from Pretoria, for her wood installation entitled Those Forgotten.

The third merit award offering a residency at the Ampersand Foundation in New York, USA, was open to South Africans only and awarded to Nelmarie du Preez for her gripping and technically impressive, To Stab, a single-channel video with sound.

All top ten finalists of the competition attended a two-day art professionalism course in Johannesburg that aims to help them in managing their careers.

“These coveted residencies are a critical part of the Barclays L’Atelier art competition, as they specifically further one of the event’s core objectives – fast-tracking the careers of the winning artists by exposing them to international opportunities,” said Dr. Paul Bayliss, Absa’s Art and Museum Curator.

Dirkie Offringa, President of the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA), who host the event in partnership with Barclays, says; “SANAVA salutes Barclays L’Atelier for extending the boundaries of the competition to include young and emerging artists from Botswana, Zambia, Ghana and Kenya.”

“We see young artists at ease with new inter-disciplinary mediums, while not being ashamed of traditional genres and expressions,” says Offringa. “They engage in current affairs and the social discourse in South Africa without constraint. This is what enhances art development on the African continent.”

“The Barclays L’Atelier has once again proven its worth as South Africa’s biggest art competition. Both in terms of exposure and experience for young artists, the competition constantly raises the bar. Apart from the financial advantage offered, the opportunity for the winners to spend time at three international destinations is priceless. This is proof of the benefit of organisations like Barclays and SANAVA pooling their expertise and resources to the benefit of artists,” says Offringa.

Whether the 2016 competition will be opened to more African artists remains unknown. Although when asked, Bayliss seemed to hint at the possibility of it.

For more information, visit www.lateliercompetition.com.