This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards, which are granted to emerging, young South African artists who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their chosen field. These artists have not yet achieved national exposure and acclaim, but the awards were designed to assist in promoting the careers
of those selected.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards, which are granted to emerging, young South African artists who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their chosen field. These artists have not yet achieved national exposure and acclaim, but the awards were designed to assist in promoting the careers
of those selected.
Looking at previous winners, it is evident that this venture has proven to be successful. The list of Young Artist Award winners from the past 25 years includes many of South Africa’s most famous and astute creative individuals
from the fields of drama, visual arts, choreography and dance, music, jazz and film. Years after winning the award, these artists continue to add value to culture in South Africa. Many are also stars on the international stage.
Awards are presented annually to deserving artists in four to five arts disciplines, affording them national exposure and acclaim. Apart from a monetary award, the winning artists are given the opportunity to create new work, either to perform, direct, choreograph or exhibit on the main programme of the National Arts Festival.
The awards are a project of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and were established in 1981 by the founding father of the Festival, Prof Guy Butler and the then artistic director, Roy Sargeant, who
agreed that South Africa’s emerging artists needed a special platform at the annual event.
Since the inception of the awards in 1981, and including the 2009 recipients, a total of 99 awards have been presented plus five special awards to artists in recognition of their contribution to the National Arts Festival and the arts of South Africa.
Five Roses initially sponsored the awards, but when Standard Bank acquired the naming rights to the Festival in 1984, it automatically became the title sponsor. The bank stepped down as title sponsor in 2002 but remained linked to the awards due to the significant role they play in developing and promoting South Africa’s artistic heritage.
Jacko Maree, Standard Bank’s Group Chief Executive, explains, “Because we have been such an integral part of South Africa, having been around for 150 years, we do a number of things that show that we have a sense for the society in which we operate.
“The Standard Bank Young Artist Awards are one very small, but nevertheless integral, part of this aspect of Standard Bank’s vision.
“The arts constitute one of the core pillars of our connections and involvement within communities.” Generally, the awards have advanced the careers of the winning artists, but have also been crucial for understanding our cultural history and heritage. The awards played a vital role in promoting democracy in the field of culture
during apartheid.
In 1985, for example, playwright Maishe Maponya, received the drama award and opera singer Sidwill Hartman, accepted the music award. The first black artist to win the visual arts award was Helen Mmakgoba Sebidi in 1989.
In the same year Johnny Clegg, a staunch apartheid critic whose work was refused airplay on SABC radio and
television, was the recipient of the music award.
The 2009 Festival will offer festival- goers a veritable feast of work by former and current winners. Apart from the new work presented by the 2009 recipients, a 25 year retrospective exhibition, commissioned by Standard Bank, was curated by the late Prof Alan Crump together with Barbara Freemantle of the Standard Bank Gallery. After the Festival the exhibition will be put up at Standard Bank’s gallery in Johannesburg.
Five of the jazz award winners – Andile Yenana, Concord Nkabinde, Shannon Mowday, Mark Fransman and Kesivan Naidoo – together with opera singer, Zanne Stapelberg, will join forces in a special music and jazz showcase.
Think!Fest will host a panel discussion at which the thinking and artistic processes of some of the Young Artist Award winners will be explored. Hosted by Mannie Manim, former chairman of the Festival Committee, the panel will consist of Janice Honeyman, Andrew Buckland, Sibongile Khumalo, Acty Tang and Kesivan Naidoo.
A new key development as of 2009 is the selection of one of the current year’s winners to undertake a mini tour to a select number of countries in Africa. This initiative is being launched in conjunction with the French Institute of South Africa who – through the Alliance Francaise in the respective countries – will play host to the performers.
The French Ambassador to South Africa, Denis Pietton, says: “The French cultural network is present on the entire continent.
Besides, one of our missions in this country, as requested by the South African authorities, is to help introduce Africa to South Africa and vice versa. Consequently, it felt natural to us to propose to Standard Bank and the National Arts Festival an extension of the awards. As such, every year, after creating his or her work for the Festival, one of the laureates will be invited on a tour in Africa.
We have no doubt that the links created by artists during those tours will transform into many shared projects.” This year the jazz award winner, Kesivan Naidoo, and his band Babu, have been selected to perform in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya during October.
It is envisaged that this venture will become an annual extension of the work by one of the Young Artist Award winners and it is hoped that the network of countries will also increase significantly.
2009 winners:
Nicholas Hlobo for visual art, Jacques Eugene Imbrailo for music, Ntshieng Mokgoro for drama, Kesivan Naidoo for jazz, Thabo Rapoo for dance.
