Inaugural Anna Award winner announced

Image supplied: Anna Award winner Lerato Nkosi

The winner is Lerato Nkosi - who receives R100,000 cash, a one-month residency at Plaas #inplaasvan in Franschhoek, South Africa, a profile on Latitudes Online, and a year’s supply of Anna products.

The winner was chosen from among the 12 finalists by the Anna selection committee.

Finalist Sinalo Ngcaba is the winner of the Audience Award, for which Latitudes received 2,767 votes from the public.

All about the inaugural Anna Art Awards

21 Jul 2022

Nkosi was born in Mpumalanga, South Africa and lives and works in Johannesburg. Drawing from her experiences as a young girl growing up in a sheltered world that was created for her by her predecessors, she has developed a dynamic practice that examines the intricacies of existing in the world as a woman with the awareness that the teachings are impacting and affecting her existence.

Her work employs ink and stamps as a vital, organic, multifaceted material.

For Nkosi, ink and stamps are mediums that stain and certify with their contact on any surface, these materials are those that never leave a surface the same after being in contact with it. The stamp and ink are always used to verify and ordain documents of importance which grants the holder automatic approval to the decision of others, an individual of authority always handles this process.

The teachings of parents onto the girl child are embedded in and never leave her the same as she previously was, with the ideas that whatsoever have been stamped and inked upon her being approved.

The medium tempers heavier subjects that are faced in societies regarding the expectations of a woman. Investigating the medium allows Nkosi to overcome her daily conundrums and escape the victim mentality.

To see the full list of finalists, go here.