Cassirer Welz Award 2021 finalists revealed
By CityLife Arts Writer
Four young visual artists are in line to possibly walk away with the prestigious Cassirer Welz Award 2021.
“Congratulations to all the artists in the running for this year’s award. Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, in partnership with Strauss & Co Fine Art Auctioneers, are pleased to announce the four shortlisted finalists for the 2021 Cassirer Welz Award: Mpumelelo Buthelezi, Nthabiseng Boledi Kekana, Samuel Nnorom and Xanthè Jackson,” said the organisers of the award in a statement released on November 3, 2021.
The winner will be announced at an award ceremony on Monday 29 November 2021 at Strauss & Co Fine Art Auctioneers. The event starts at 6pm. Now in its 10th year, the Cassirer Welz Award celebrates the lives of the late Reinhold Cassirer who was a renowned art dealer and Stephan Welz, the late art auctioneer and founder of Strauss & Co.
The award has given emerging artists an opportunity to showcase their talents to a broader audience and acknowledges exceptional emerging artists with an opportunity of a ten-week residency and a solo exhibition of new work at the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios.
“Since its inception this award has seen the winners launch their careers and really start making a name for themselves within the South Africa art market,” says Susie Goodman, Executive Director, Strauss & Co.
Previous winners include artists such as Blessing Ngobeni, Nompumelelo Ngoma, Tshepo Mosopa, Asanda Kupa, Thato Nhlapho, Richard “Specs” Ndimande and Keneilwe Mokoena.
The award will provide the recipient with studio space, a contribution towards material costs, and transport stipend, as well as the opportunity to interact with the resident artists at the Bag Factory. Through the exchange of ideas, mentorship and skills development, the artist has an opportunity for substantial creative and professional growth.
ABOUT THE FINALISTS
Mpumelelo Buthelezi was born (1994) in Pimville in Soweto, Johannesburg. He taught himself to be a photographer to interpret the time and place he was born into, to tell the untold stories of the communities of his country, to present them as narratives and full lives lived in the margins. He studied photojournalism and documentary photography at Market Photo Workshop, graduating in 2017. He has exhibited his work at the Student Gallery there, at the Social Art Award in Germany, Transitions Rotterdam FotoFestival in Netherlands, as well as a solo exhibition at WeTilt in Italy, He was on an artist-residency programme with Professor Zanele Muholi (Muholi Productions) and Betive Holdings.
He is currently on another virtual artist-residency with Wendy Network for Arts Unchained. He lives and works in Johannesburg.
Nthabiseng Boledi Kekana is an artist born (1999) in Johannesburg and raised in Alexandra. She is currently living and practicing in Alexandra. Nthabiseng started drawing in her early primary school years and later went to the National school of the Arts, where she majored in three dimensional design. After graduating from NSA she entered the LISOF (Fashion Design Institute) #MyFashionCareer bursary competition and came first runner up. She ended up studying for a higher certificate. She also later applied to study digital media in design at the University of Johannesburg and holds a degree in digital media in design (multimedia).
After obtaining her degree she began her journey as a full-time artist. She grounds her work in inclusivity and uses a harmonic range of media, from acrylic, charcoal, pastels, neline, natural bres, mixed media and more to further explore the world’s narrative through her lens.
Her work has been exhibited in France and currently is in possession of major collectors around the world, primarily in London and the US.
Samuel Nnorom is a multi-talented artist who seeks to explore several materials. He holds a BA Education (sculpture major) degree from the University of Jos, Nigeria, and currently completing an MFA in sculpture from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Samuel was winner of a national art competition organised by the National Gallery of Art in 2010 and 2012.
He also won prizes in the 2016, 2017 and 2019 editions of the Life in My City Art Festival. He was first prize recipient (leatherwork category) of the I create Africa 2019. Samuel has received invitations to important workshops and group exhibitions, including an international art workshop by IICD at the United States Embassy, Abuja (2019), Young Contemporary 2021, published in an international magazine, UK (Zine, issue 11, artist responding to issues) 2021 and recipient of 2022 ROSL and Art House Residency London, and several others.
He belongs to the New Nsukka School of Art and is currently exploring Ankara fabric to explore ideas surrounding bubbles while interrogating personal experiences that relate to sociopolitical issues in Africa.
Xanthè Jackson was born (1988) in Johannesburg and is a Durban-based multidisciplinary artist. She completed a diploma in Fine Arts from Rhodes University in 2011. After a stint working with interior designers and architects, she started a popup shop, META in 2015, selling handmade jewellery and clothing. She was selected as a top ten finalist in the MTN & UJ Emerging Artist Programme and won first prize in the New Now Next Emerging Artist Awards hosted by Galerie Noko.
Xanthè is an abstract artist, whose work is process-driven and detail oriented. With visual interests invested in texture and exploring the limitations of mediums, resulting in complex abstract works, Xanthè aims to deal with human connection, society highlighted by the pandemic, social-scapes and insignificant moments. Through her work, Xanthè speaks of loss, connection, time, memory, familiarity, as well as the unfamiliar, and perhaps even the aberrant.