The first round of judging for the 2023 New Breed Art Competition concluded with resounding success, as a total of 34 exceptional works of art were chosen for inclusion in the highly anticipated exhibition starting on 12 October at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum.
This year, the competition received 97 entries, reflecting the growing artistic talent within the Free State.
The competition is an initiative of Phatsoane Henney Attorneys, in association with the Oliewenhuis Art Museum, The Free State Art Collective and the Art Bank of South Africa.
The panel of judges, comprising distinguished artists and curators, played an important role in the selection process.
Ruzy Rusike, Nandipha Mntambo and Isabelle Grobler brought their wealth of experience and discerning eye to this year’s judging. Mntambo expressed her admiration for the submissions.
“A wonderful selection of works were submitted. It is inspiring to see all the talent our country and, more specifically, the Free State has cultivated.”
This echoed the collective sentiment of the judging panel, who were impressed by the calibre of entries.
Grobler also extended her gratitude.
“Thank you to all the artists who submitted work. It is inspiring to see so many different and diverse voices, approaches, and mediums. Keep going, it’s much needed. And good luck to those going through to the second round.”
The selected works represent a diverse range of styles, mediums, and themes, reflecting the rich tapestry of creative voices within the Free State community.
From striking installations to drawings and digital art, each chosen piece promises to captivate and inspire visitors to the exhibition. The public will play an active part in determining one of the competition winners.
The public choice award will go to the artist who receives the most online votes on the competition website, newbreedart.co.za, and will receive R10 000 in prize money. Voting will be open from 12 October with the opening of the exhibition.
Of the rest of the R110 000 in prize money, R50 000 will be awarded to the winner, R20 000 to the runner-up and R10 000 each to two merit award winners, as decided by the judges.
For the first time ever, the competition will this year also introduce a new award category for digital art. This award is sponsored by Rooistoel, a multi-media production company in Bloemfontein.
For more information about the competition, visit the official website.
