The awards, formerly known as the Ekurhuleni National Fine Arts Awards, were held at Coen Scholtz Recreation Centre, in Kempton Park.
Dingwall’s work, titled “Black Veil”, won the Multi and New Media/Photography Merit Award.
Dingwall has an eye for the unusual, a passion to explore avenues less travelled and the desire to create images that resonate with emotion; these are what drive this photographer.
He is a successful commercial photographer, as well as a contemporary artist, having exhibited both locally and internationally, and recently made the top 10 in one of Africa’s most prestigious art completions, the 2014 Absa L’atelier.
Dingwall’s most recent project, a series of beautifully composed portraits of Thando Hopa (a young lawyer-turned-model who has albinism) has attracted attention internationally.
His portraits were exhibited at the London 14 Art Fair, as well as in a solo exhibition at the MIA Gallery, in Seattle, in February, this year.
In October 2013, the portraits were on exhibition at the 1:54 African Art Fair in London, after making their debut at the prestigious FNB Johannesburg Art Fair.
“Exploring the ambiguities of classical beauty” is what is at the heart of an ongoing collaboration between Dingwall and Hopa.
Dingwall started his career in commercial photography after graduating with a BTech Cum Laude in Photography from the Tshwane University of Technology in 2004.
During the next few years he won numerous awards, including gold in the Fuji Film Awards for portraiture.
His exhibitions include a solo show of gritty portraits called “Portraying Life” in 2005, and a group exhibition called Positive, where he featured alongside established artists such as designer Carrol Boyes, sculptor Guy du Toit and ceramicist Barbara Jackson, in a global Aids initiative.
His work has been published both locally and internationally.
He continues his journey of self-discovery through his lens.
“I do what I do for the love of new experiences,” he said.
His imagery is not bound by language or culture.
“I want my work to speak for itself and for people to interpret it in their own way.
“I want people to be affected by my images and as long as someone is feeling something, I am achieving my goals,” said Dingwall.
