Award Ceremony & Online Exhibition Launch

28 Aug 2020 | ppm (GMT+2)

Zoom details to be announced shortly

wits young artist award ‘20

The Wits Young Artist Award (WYAA) is supported by the point of order and the Wits School of Arts as a platform for both acknowledging and giving exposure to new and provocative work by senior students of the Wits Fine Art Department. The award consists of three prizes: 1st Prize / R12 000, and two Merit Awards / R6 500 each. Given that the point of order project space is currently closed on account of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the final selection of works will be included in a curated online exhibition and programme, to which leading local and international curators, artists, scholars and arts organisations will be invited.

WYAA ‘20 is curated by Gabrielle Goliath & Reshma Chhiba under two open categories: Rudiment and Hope sub-verse. Rather than discreet or overly prescriptive thematic clusters, these categories are presented as open frameworks - which is to say, as porous, contingent, entangled and open to challenge.

Senior students from the Fine Art Department of the University of the Witwatersrand were invited to submit a single work under one of these categories, as individuals or collectives. All submitted works were reviewed by a selection panel comprised of Iziko South African National Gallery curator Ingrid Masondo and internationally renowned artist Athi-Patra Ruga.

Selected works will be adjudicated by Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican artist Alia Farid and New Frame Cultural Editor Danni Bowler. Winners will be announced at the launch of the online exhibition. To join, please register via the Zoom registration button above.

Shortlisted artists:

Griffen Alexander

Jordan Cassidy Anthony, Tzung Hui Lauren Lee & Shayna Rosendorff

Shamil Balram

Vick Bester

Yakira Gischen

Ayabonga Magwaxaza

Pebofatso Mokoena

Ndabenhle Mthiyane

Jade Palmer

Tehillah Snyman