Local film starring up-and-coming artist Collen Maswanganyi who won the L’Atelier Merit Award
JOBURG – The power of the L'Atelier art competition to open doors for young, emerging artists and provide them with a platform to share their art with the world, is highlighted in a new short film.
L’Atelier Merit Award winner, Collen Maswanganyi is showcased in a film titled Mbatlo, which traces his love affair with wood, and his deep desire to continue his family’s legacy of sculpting wood using the traditional mbatlo tool.
“It’s special. [The mbatlo tool] has been handed down from one generation to another. It has allowed me, my father and my grandfather to not only shape wood but shape the future of African artists,” Maswanganyi tells viewers in the poignant film.
The inspiration for this expression is seen in the visual feast the film offers up, a smorgasbord of snapshots of Maswanganyi’s world that sees him marvelling at the unconventional beauty and madness around him.
“I find inspiration all around me. I see beauty where others don’t, and bring this to life through every cut, scrape and scratch,” he explained.
More than just demonstrating how he is able to transform rough, cast-off wood into engaging sculptures with stories to tell, the film shows how Maswanganyi has been able to share his talent through the opportunities afforded to him by winning a L’Atelier Merit Award in 2010.
L’Atelier organisers are now calling on young artists across the continent to enter the L’Atelier 2017 art competition, which promises the winner and finalists’ access to unparalleled exposure and opportunities to grow their careers both in South Africa and abroad.
The competition aims to nurture young talent and serves as a platform for emerging artists to make their mark in the African art arena. As such it is open to young artists in the 10 African countries where Barclays Africa has a footprint, namely, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, Seychelles and, for the first time in 2017, Mozambique.
Aspiring artists are encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Maswanganyi by entering this year’s contest.
Details: www.lateliercompetition.com
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