By Tabisa Mntengwana
10 February 2009

THE Ann Bryant Art Gallery in East London has several exhibitions lined up, featuring a number of artists, including Janna Prinsloo and Thembeka Qangule, and a paper and clay workshop by Liz Sanches.

There is also the annual Absa L’Atelier competition. The prize includes a six-month stay in Paris.

First up is Identity, a collaboration between Prinsloo and Qangule. It is on until 28 February.

Using oil, canvas, mixed media and digital images, the artists explore issues of identity from very different angles.

Prinsloo’s oil paintings with digital imagery take a playful approach in capturing the unique characteristics of individuals, playing with the unique identity of different landscapes.

Qangule’s mixed media works explore the factors which she sees as obscuring and falsifying the true identity of individuals, including anger and bitterness. These works are driven by social and political concerns.

These two up-and-coming artists first exhibited together in a group exhibition at the 2008 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

This is a group exhibition featuring members of various art classes around East London. They bring together art works influenced by opinions and expertise of other members, focusing on wildlife and the natural beauty of South Africa.

Several media are used, including oils and pastels. The exhibition, For the Love of Art, opens on 5 March and ends on 21 March.

Sanches, a renowned artist, brings to Eat London art and ceramic lovers a Paper Clay Workshop, during which she will give lessons on how to use paper and clay in creating art.

Sanches is a member of Ceramic South Africa in the East London area. The workshop will be held at 46 Princess Alice Drive in Nahoon on Saturday, 21 February.

And then it’s the turn of young artists, who will have the opportunity to showcase their talent in the annual Absa L’Atelier competition.

All artists between the ages of 21 and 35 should submit entries for the continent's richest art award for young artists. The prize is valued at R400 000, and includes a six-month study period at the prestigious Cité Internationale des Arts in the heart of Paris.

This includes R100 000 pocket money, a return ticket to France and free access to galleries and museums in the capital.

Four merit award winners will each pocket R20 000, while the top 10 finalists will receive a R1 000 bonus prize. There is also the R80 000 Gerard Sekoto Award for the most promising artist.

The Absa L’Atelier competition is presented in conjunction with the South African National Association for the Visual Arts and launched the careers of several well-known artists, such as Clive van den Berg, Walter Oltmann, Isaac Khanyile, Karel Nel and Diane Victor.

For more information on the competition rules and an entry form and other exhibitions, contact Leon or Terry at the Ann Bryant Art Gallery, 9 St Marks Road Southernwood, East London.

The gallery is open from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm, and on Saturdays and public holidays, from 9am to 12pm.

It is closed on Good Friday, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Freedom Day, Workers’ Day and Youth Day.

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