Each year the Lovell Gallery Artists competition recognises promising young artists whose work delivers visual impact and powerful ideas. This year, six artists produced notable artistic works.
These individuals demonstrate unique styles, expressing socially relevant ideas through diverse artistic mediums:
- Vivien Kohler's collage and paint works deal with the realities of unfair perception, and symbolically display them in relation to the liberating verdict of the human spirit upon its surroundings.
- Thsepo Mosopa's drawings are about the search for identity through social hierarchy, where he uses the human form and its placement in space to reflect how one's identity is reshaped by political, economic and cultural influences.
- Marcus Viljoen is an artist pushing contemporary boundaries with photography. He transforms the Namibian landscape, layering 200 images to create illusions of movement and distortion.
- Luami Calitz is fascinated with limitations of the human body. Inspired by science, science fiction and costume, her paintings imagine alterations and improvements in the human form akin to the evolutionary process.
- Mike Hyam's twisted metal and blown glass sculptural works reflect on how we search for a change amidst the storm of life, and how we can find silent moments within the chaos to connect with our profound selves.
- Mark Burkhalter impressed with his mastery of lines. He commented in his statement that he aims to "grab only the lines that truly matter" and somehow he seems to manage the simplicity of that.
Cultivating fresh, authentic talent
These artists, who will take part in the group exhibition, stand a chance to be awarded a solo exhibition. This ultimate award will be won by the artist judged to have the most authentic and fresh approach to art-making and the greatest capability of continuously creating new pieces that deserve attention. The gallery will work with the selected overall winner to develop their potential until they are ready for a professional solo.
The Lovell Gallery's objective is to form long-term relationships with select artists, whereby the artists benefit from solo and group exhibitions, regular exposure to collectors, and help with developing their 'collectability' and selling their work.
The Lovell Gallery Artists Competition celebrates its 2013 winners in a group exhibition opening on Saturday, 24 August 2013 at 11.00am, with a public reception. The exhibition runs until 26 September in the Upstairs Gallery.
For further information, go to www.lovellgallery.co.za or e-mail az.oc.yrellagllevol@ofni.
