Art in the Country Coastal made a succesful North Coast debut in Ballito last week, generating more than R2-millon in artwork sales.

The four-day exhibition brought together 63 artists, with works ranging from fine and graphic art to modern and contemporary pieces.

Local talent also made its mark, with Ballito artist Hayley Lombard emerging as the exhibition’s top-selling artist. She headed the list of the show’s top 10, followed by Tanja Seiler, Brent Dodd, Pippa Birkett, Gift Dlamini, Julia Forman, Simon Addy, Jude Martin, Richard Rijo and Zenzo Siamenda.

Event convenor Kathy Jacob said bringing the popular exhibition to the coast was a natural next step after five years in Hilton.

“A lot of our artists are actually from the North Coast and we found many of our visitors were travelling from the coast to the Midlands. We thought it made good sense to bring Art in the Country here, giving local artists the opportunity to have the exhibition on their doorstep,” said Jacob.

The event attracted artists from across the country, including from as far afield as the Western Cape and North West.

Jacob said selecting the exhibitors was not easy, with about 250 applications received.

“The selection process is very difficult because everyone’s got amazing work, but we are limited. It is very much about quality, not quantity,” she said.

Visitors were also entertained by live music and could enjoy a variety of food and drinks while browsing.

Art in the Country was first launched at Harrington House in Hilton five years ago and has continued to grow.

The Ballito exhibition is an extension of the Hilton event, with the Hilton edition held in May and the North Coast show in October.

Jacob said the response had been encouraging and hoped to return next year, while thanking sponsors SPAR KZN, Zimbali Lakes, Panda Paints and Collisheen Estate for making the exhibition possible.