The winners of the 2023 New Breed Art Competition was announced during a ceremony at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum yesterday.
At the event, the winner, runner-up, merit award winners and the public choice award was handed over to inspiring artists.
In a heartfelt opening address, the CEO of PH Attorneys and spokesperson for New Breed Art, Lesley Mokgoro, spoke about the strength of this year’s entries, noting the exceptional quality, innovation, and creativity displayed by the participating artists. The commitment and passion evident in the submissions were commendable, showcasing the Free State region as a hub for emerging talent.
Lesego Motsiri was announced the overall winner.
Receiving his prize of R50 000, Motsiri said: “I am humbled and truly honoured to be awarded this prestigious award. I thank everyone who has supported me through my journey. You have pushed me to keep pushing on and have helped me keep my head above the waves. Thank you to the people of the Free State for accepting me and helping me grow. I can officially call myself a rose of this city.”.
Lesego entered his video artwork titled “Self Portrait”. In deciding on the award, the judges were unanimous in their decision, indicating that this artwork was original, introspective and engaging. They commented on the intricacy of the thought process that had gone into the work and that it was definitely not something they had seen before and in their minds the clear winner of this year’s competition.
The public voted for Thamsanga Michael Mfuphi’s art work to receive the Public Choice Award. For this he received R10 000.
The Merit Award winners were Marcus Chigawa for “Kachingwe Tea Dispatch” and Poloko (PK) Mohanoe for “Artistic Labour”. They both received prize money of R10 000 each.
Linde Kriel received the award for a new category that was introduced this year: Digital Art. He received a prize of R10 000 for his art piece “Biting the Forbidden Fruit: A Digital Communion of Queer Redemption”.
Linde was also the runner-up recogning him for the complexity, skill, and innovative bridging of mediums in his work, earning him a prize of R20 000.
The exhibition, featuring the works of Free State artists, is open for public viewing until 19 November 2023.
