Discover which emerging creatives are worth their weight in concrete as the PPC Imaginarium Awards announces its 2016/2017 regional finalists.
Following a regional judging process that took place early in 2017, 55 finalists have been chosen from across South Africa and will move on to the prestigious national judging round of the PPC Imaginarium Awards. The country’s most supportive art and design prize has once again garnered unprecedented attention from aspiring creatives, achieving a record number of entries into the competition – with an impressive 869 registered entries received, exceeding last year’s total of 698 entrants.
The finalists were chosen from the competition’s categories, – film, industrial design, sculpture, fashion and jewellery. The overall winner, category winners and runners-up will be announced on 18 May, 2017 at the UJ Art Gallery in Johannesburg. The overall winner will get a cash prize of R150 000, while category winners and runners-up will each be awarded R50 000 and R15 000 respectively.
The finalists’ submissions were judged by a panel of industry experts, including director of the awards, Daniel van der Merwe, fashion consultant Allana Finley and visual artist Stephen Hobbs. Other noteworthy regional judges include fine artist Mary Sibande, filmmaker Wessel van Huyssteen and Gallery MOMO Cape Town director Igsaan Martin.
The high number of registered entries resulted in a selection of diverse submissions that exceeded the expectations of the judges. “There was a noticeable progression of the physical submissions this year,” says Martin. “It is evident that entrants are researching the limitations of concrete and delivering this knowledge within their artworks. The outcome was innovative submissions that are of exceptional quality.”
Finley adds to this, “I was impressed by the inventiveness of works submitted during the awards’ 2016/2017 cycle. It was inspiring to witness the way in which entrants incorporated the medium of concrete into their submissions and were able to do so across PPC Imaginarium’s various categories. I was excited to find that a big portion of the entries were commercially viable and globally relevant, which is an important aspect to consider with a global partner like PPC Ltd.”
A project of the innovation department of PPC Ltd, the PPC Imaginarium Awards challenges artists and designers to express their creative abilities using cement as the primary medium. This criterion has always resulted in an array of imaginative works that truly demonstrate the versatility and unexpected beauty of concrete.
Members of the public will be able to engage with the finalists’ work at a number of galleries and events across the country, including 100% Design South Africa, the Turbine Art Fair and the KZNSA Gallery, in addition to the exhibition at the UJ Art Gallery. This travelling showcase, supported by Stuttaford Van Lines, will see the finalists’ work gain widespread industry and public exposure.
The list of the PPC Imaginarium Awards 2016/2017 finalists by category:
Film (3)
Stefanus Nel
Berdene du Toit
Thabo Molebatsi
Industrial design (11)
Jano Myburgh
Ryan Roberts and Ingrid Jones Roberts
Antony Spence
Ivan Brown
Matthew Davey and Tom Utermark
Deon de Lange
David Gray
Yolande Berdine van der Merwe
Sonja Zytkow and Geoffrey Hunt
Josua Strumpfer
Handre de la Rey
Sculpture (18)
Dries Fourie
Luke Ducray
Campbell Lak
Kim Mobey
Kenan Petersen
Ryan Roberts and Ingrid Jones Roberts
Mhlonishwa Chiliza (x2)
Wonder Shangase
Hannah Kempe
Lebogang Mabusela
Mziwoxolo Makalima
Sonwabiso Ngcai
Chantelle Chambers
Pierre du Plessis
Steven Xitina Khosa (x3)
Fashion (5)
Cara Jade Bezuidenhout
Janine Potts
Tshepo Sizwe Phokojoe
Retha Snyders
Cleo Sophie Spiller
Jewellery (18)
Elmarie Burger
Christine Botha
Ryan Roberts and Ingrid Jones Roberts
Priscilla Brown
Aleks Ashton
Deon de Lange
Geraldine Fenn
Manuel Mpho Helepi
Tshegofatso Makgatho
Nkosinathi Mhlongo
Lydia-Comfort Ntakanyane Molaba
Thato Radebe
Jessica Roetz
Rela Venter
Zanele Vilakazi
Sonja Zytkow
Gabrielle Lourens
Zanele Abigail Shongwe
What: PPC Imaginarium Awards
When: 18 May, 2017
Where: UJ Art Gallery, Johannesburg
Info: www.ppcimaginarium.co.za
WS
