Striking imagery of Free State duo showcased at exhibition

BLOEMFONTEIN: Two Free State visual artists, Richard Bollers from Thaba Nchu and Danielle Pretorius-van Wyk from Bloemfontein, are among the top 40 candidates whose creative works are showcased in an exhibition at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery and Clay Museum in Durbanville.
The exhibition officially opened on Saturday, 30 August, following the announcement of the winners. Bollers and Pretorius-van Wyk’s works qualified for a feature among the shortlisted finalists.

The ultimate winner, Malik Mani from Upington in the Northern Cape, took home the coveted prize for portrait award. He received a whopping R150 000 in prize money. Mani achieved the first place for his hyperrealistic conceptual work Mask. Drawn in pencil, the portrait depicts a male face breaking through a cracked surface resembling peeling paint. Mani’s prize include a solo exhibition at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in 2027.

The others in top six were: Ashley Ogilvy (2nd place) (Bakoven, Cape Town), Joseph Dolby (3rd place) (Edgemead, Cape Town), Themba Mkhangeli (4th place) (Nyanga, Cape Town), Monique Day-Wilde (5th place) (Pringle Bay, Cape Town), and Ruan Huisamen (Ryno Swart Drawing Medal) (Durbanville, Cape Town). The winners were announced at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in Durbanville, Cape Town, on Friday.

The biennial awards ceremony, held since 2013, showcase the boldest and most compelling portraiture in South Africa today. From oil to mixed media, realism to abstraction, these artists offer a striking snapshot of contemporary identity and talent. This was the seventh instalment of the Portrait Awards.

It invites artists from across South Africa to submit original, two-dimensional portraits for a chance to secure a solo exhibition. The Portrait 100 exhibition will be on display at the Spier Arts Trust Union House in Cape Town, as part of the First Thursdays’ programme. Donavan Mynhardt, curator at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, reflects on the selection process.

“The judging process was incredibly meticulous, and what excited us most this year was the number of new mediums and approaches we saw.

“This year, there was a noticeable increase in entries using drawings, embroidery, graphic-based techniques and even tattoo ink, all of which are truly pushing the boundaries of portraiture in exciting new ways.”

According to Mynhardt, the top 40 finalists represent a rich diversity of the country’s artists, with works that challenge conventional notions of portraiture.

“This year’s exhibition is set to offer a powerful exploration of contemporary South African portraiture and its evolving expressions.

“I am pleased with the choices the judges made this year. There is a clear shift towards more modern and diverse approaches to portraiture, which reflects the growing strength and creativity of South African artists,” Mynhardt said.