StateoftheART are accepting submissions from entrants who are permanently resident in South Africa, aged 18 and above, and who have not yet held a solo exhibition with a commercial gallery. Local judges will choose finalists whose work will go on show in a group exhibition at their Cape Town gallery in September 2021 for a final round of judging.
Unlike other competitions there is no participation fee, and entries will be assessed on a variety of criteria. The aim is to find artists with a unique ‘signature’ within a South African context; to showcase artists whose work shows significant potential, who have interesting ideas, a relevant message and who demonstrate skillful execution.
All entrants are required to submit three works to the theme On the Brink: Visualising Climate Change.
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Who can enter?
The competition is open to all entrants who are permanently resident in South Africa and aged 18 years and older.
Artists currently represented by StateoftheART are not eligible to enter.
Entrants must be new or emerging artists (recent fine arts graduates and art students are also encouraged to enter) who have not yet held a solo exhibition at a commercial gallery.
Competition Theme 2021
‘On The Brink: Visualising Climate Change’
“Extreme weather patterns like the tornadoes and extreme storms seen in KwaZulu-Natal this week will become more commonplace as a result of climate change”– Professor Alistair Clulow, University of KwaZulu-Natal (2019)
“At a time of planetary emergency, artists need to be more than artisans who produce commodities to be bought and sold for audiences’ aesthetic pleasure. They need to reclaim their place as society’s primary storytellers and disrupt the cultural narrative that’s allowing predatory extraction of an exhausted and dying natural world”
– Leonie Joubert, Science Writer & award-winning South African author
The term โClimate Changeโ is ambivalent: it describes a process, development, or state – which can be both reversible, and irreversible.
Reversible: we collectively, as either an individual or organization, make the commitment to personally influence our environment, to actively prevent โthe climate crisisโ.
Irreversible: we have left it too late to take action to positively influence the climate crisis, and have to accept the consequences of โclimate changeโ.
Much has been written and spoken about the impact of climate change and the consequences of inaction. But art can make an impact and evoke feelings that are hard to express in words or speech. Art can express ideas that may be too complicated or abstract for other mediums – and climate change is one of the most complex problems of our time, in part because it’s so difficult to communicate.
For the StateoftheART Gallery Award 2021, artists are asked to find ways to engage with the reality of climate crisis and its impact on their own community; to create work to inspire and encourage societal change within their community – and within the broader South African context.
NB: Consider the environmental impact of the art materials/art techniques employed in the creation of your work to ensure that it does not contribute to the problem!
Prizes
StateoftheART has been championing emerging talent in contemporary art for 9 years, and launched the inaugural StateoftheART Gallery Award in 2018.
The StateoftheART Gallery Award prize includes:
– A finalist group exhibition at StateoftheART Gallery in Cape Town
– The winner will receive a solo show at StateoftheART Gallery the following year and the opportunity for ongoing representation with StateoftheART.
– The winner will receive a R40 000 cash Award to be used towards the realisation of their solo show with StateoftheART Gallery in 2022.
Competition Rules
ELIGIBILITY: Who Can Enter?
The StateoftheART Gallery Award is open to artists who:
Are are aged eighteen (18) and older, and who are either South African citizens, are permanent residents or have work permits in South Africa.
Must be new or emerging artists who have not yet held a solo exhibition with a commercial gallery, except for academic purposes.
Are currently pursuing, or intend to pursue, a career as a full-time artist. Work in the following media: drawing, printing, painting, photography, digital art, mixed media and sculpture.Works submitted for the competition must have been created by the Entrant i.e. his/her original work and remain his/her property for the duration of the competition and exhibition until such time as the work has been collected by, or returned to the Entrant, or sold during the exhibition.
Those who are NOT eligible for The StateoftheART Gallery Award are:
Artists who are not resident in South AfricaArtists who are currently represented by StateoftheARTArtists who have previously won the StateoftheART Gallery Award
Artists who have already held a solo exhibition with a commercial gallery
Artists working in video or performance art
Online entry is open from 1st April 2021 and closes at midday (12.00 pm) on Wednesday, 30 June 2021. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED.
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PARTICIPATION RULES:
This competition will be judged over two rounds. The first-round entries are to be submitted digitally through the StateoftheART website. The top ten selected finalists will be invited to send their original work to StateoftheART Gallery in Cape Town where it will be exhibited for the final round of judging. Only original works of art completed during 2020/2021 may be entered.
Entries may be submitted online from 12:00 pm on 1 April 2021 to 12:00 pm on 30 June 2021. A copy of a document confirming your identity and age (RSA ID / Passport / Proof of permanent residence) must be uploaded with your digital entry. Submissions without this documentation will be disqualified.
Artwork that is entered must be specific to the Award 2021 theme of On the Brink: Visualising Climate Change and must have been created by the entrant, i.e. it must be his or her original work. All works remain the property of the entrant for the duration of the competition and exhibition, unless a work is sold at the exhibition. Work submitted may not be older than 12 months, i.e. work must have been COMPLETED between 01 April 2020 and 30 June 2021.
All entrants are required to enter three (3) artworks and provide 3 images of each artwork: main image, side view and close-up. JPEGS must be a minimum height/width of 2000px.
Artwork (including limited edition prints) entered for the StateoftheART Gallery Award may not be entered into any other competition until the judges have selected and announced the top 10 finalists.
Artwork – including work on paper – must NOT be framed prior to consultation with StateoftheART. Artists must consult the gallery regarding framing specifications to avoid disqualification.
All entries are to be for sale at a market-related price and StateoftheART will act as the appointed agent. The entrant must include their Artist Price (not the selling price) for each work from a minimum of R1 000 to a maximum of R12 000. Gallery Commission and VAT will be added. StateoftheART’s appointment will automatically terminate when the work has been returned to the entrant, or sold.
Size & Mass Limitations:
Minimum size: 20cm width x 25cm height (unframed). Works smaller than this will be disqualified.
Maximum size: 120cm x 150cm wide or high (framed) or free standing. Works larger than this will be disqualified.
Weight restriction: No work may exceed 15kg in weight.
The first round of judging will take place digitally: the digital images submitted will be reviewed by a panel of judges and scores will be allocated to each artist against predefined criteria. The top ten artists will be notified by StateoftheART via telephone, email or WhatsApp. The decision of the judges is final. No correspondence will be entered into. Entrants should be aware that all artworks are judged on an equal basis against predetermined criteria. Unfortunately, due to the anticipated volume of submissions, we will not be able to contact those who are unsuccessful or to provide feedback.
All entrants must ensure that work selected for the Finalists Exhibition has been signed before delivery to StateoftheART Gallery. Artwork that has not been signed will be disqualified.
StateoftheART reserves the right to disqualify any artwork if the artist has not complied with the above rules as stipulated, even if the work was selected for exhibition.
How To Enter
To Enter for The StateoftheART, please visit the link below:
https://stateoftheart-gallery.com/award/prizes
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