Student Competition
The Brief
The Stellenbosch Outdoor Photography Exhibition Student Competition asked participants to centre their projects around the themes 'The Alchemy' and 'Freedom I dream up for myself and others'. These two themes gave the individual an opportunity to select a theme that inspired and spoke to them, and then visually explore it in a myriad of ways. We asked entrants to show us a story through 5 images where the theme/s were the focal point.
Images could be taken on any device and shot in any style – be black & white or colour – and approached from any angle they felt best. Each of the visual submissions was to be entered with a creative rationale of 300 words, no entry fee was required, submission had to be a maximum of 5 images and proof of registration to either University of Stellenbosch or Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography was required.
The Competition closed at the beginning of September and all entries were reviewed by our esteemed panel of judges. Three finalists were shortlisted and have been given the opportunity to exhibit their selected works as part of the Stellenbosch Outdoor Photography Exhibition curated by Anelisa Mangcu. The overall winner was announced and Thapelo Mahlangu received the title of Stellenbosch Triennale Student Photographer of the Year as well as other major prizes.
The Student Exhibition is currently in construction and will open in January 2024.
THEMES:
The Alchemy
Freedom, I dream up for myself and others.
RESULTS
WINNER
THAPELO MAHLANGU
Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography
ABOUT ME
I was born in 1994 in Soweto, the first born of two boys. Fortunately, my parents provided me with the opportunity to be in a private school. Every day I travelled from the township, past the city to the suburbs, returning late at the end of each day. I lived in two worlds, a double life, with the people from the each completely opposite from one another. I am grateful for that upbringing because it broadened my perspective and gave me a deeper understanding of people and how to engage with them.
It took me a few years before I discovered the medium of photography. I played semi-professional soccer after school, then my love for cooking took me to culinary school. Working in a restaurant made me realise cooking was not for me. In 2017 my photography journey began and today, as a student of the Stellenbosch Academy of Photography and Design, I know that it is a passion that I will continue to explore and cultivate for the rest of my life. I hope my work will have an impact visually, mentally and more importantly, make you feel something.
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ARTIST STATEMENT
With this series of self-portraits, I explore the theme “The Alchemy” of My Body Being My Home". It explores a personal journey of self-discovery and the realization that our physical and emotional homes are intricately connected to our inner selves, this revealed to me that true home is found within one’s own body. Growing up in the townships, my parents' house was my sanctuary, my initial concept of home, while city life revealed the adaptability of the concept of home navigating a new environment and relationships. Later, my studies led me to the coastal region, another shift in my sense of place, by recognizing the alchemical transformation within myself., I realized that regardless of the external surroundings the key to creating a home lies within oneself.
Through this theme, I aim to convey the idea that our bodies are the ultimate vessel for experiencing the alchemy of life. They are the constant in a world of ever-changing landscapes and surroundings. Bodies encapsulate our memories, experiences, and emotions, turning each space we occupy into a unique part of our journey. This theme invites viewers to contemplate the significance of inner peace and self-acceptance in the creation of a home, wherever life may take us.
FINALIST
ROBYN GARSTMAN
Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography
ABOUT ME
I’m Robyn, a photographer from Knysna, raised within the Garden Route. I work with digital and analogue photography as well as the moving image. I completed my degree in Visual Communication at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography. Art that interests me the most has always been conceptually focused on the human experience, which is a theme that I often bring into my photographic work.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In youth, dreams are freeing and are as vibrant and vivid as the world itself. As we mature, those dreams take on muted hues, reflecting the complexities of real-life constraints and the human experience. In the same way, spaces we used to inhabit and activities that we once enjoyed, are now passed without a second glance, as they are no longer filled with the excitement and wonder of childhood. The series aims to challenge viewers' perception of colour and its absence with passing time, offering a thought-provoking visual exploration of the fleeting nature of life.
FINALIST
GINA
THERON
Stellenbosch University + Stellenbosch Academy
of Design & Photography
ABOUT ME
I am currently enrolled in the Higher Certificate program in Commercial Photography at Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography while finishing my studies in BA Fine Art at Stellenbosch University. I am influenced by everyday situations and relationships, and through my practice I use skills across multiple mediums in attempt to create personal and intuitive responses to my environment.
Whether quick and spontaneous or pored over inquisitively, I am drawn to moments and memories that reveal the delicate, fleeting nature of our collective and personal experiences. I am interested in the human figure and incorporate certain interpretations thereof throughout my work, in both recognizable and abstracted ways.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Brewing potions, capturing souls and speaking in tongues comes to mind when I hear the word ‘Alchemy’. I picture cloaks and beards, whisps dancing in the dark.
A mystical art; a perfection of the human body and divine spirituality; the cure to any ailment and connection to the deepest parts of the human soul; to transmute into gold and purify. It is rooted in material and physical processes yet strives for perfection and immortality.
Today, we are plagued by shadows of doubt and still, the search for perfection. We are grounded in truth, in science and experience, but the hunt for clairvoyance is still alive through our lack of certainty. Our praises are reserved for the longest lives, and the highest enlightenment. We are consumed by the ghosts that surge through and around us, forever untangling their diligent grip, but we will keep brewing. We will keep our ears open to unspoken whispers, while feeling textured earth beneath our feet, and we will be rewarded by webs of light for opening our eyes to the unseen.
WINNER
THAPELO MAHLANGU
JUDGES
CASPER
KOFI
JUDGE
PHOTOGRAPHER
NETHERLANDS / GHANA
Dutch-Ghanaian photographer Casper Kofi’s work uses portraiture and fashion to explore a contemporary representation of male identity. His work offers diverse and intimate vignettes of his subjects, often referencing a nostalgic aesthetic, bringing together personal moments and theatrical qualities. Through experiments with colour and light, in studio and on location, he imbues his portraits of young men with a sense of playfulness and longing, alongside his own romanticised notions and ideas about identity and beauty. His work with friends, dancers, models and street-cast locals has been published in Dust, Fantastic man, American Vogue, French Vogue, The Gentlewoman and WSJ magazine. He has been commissioned by Dior, Paul smith, Rimowa, Grace Wales Bonner and Loewe.
ANISSA
TOUATI
JUDGE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
FRANCE
Anissa Touati is a transnational curator operating in the West and in the global South taking the Broader Mediterranean as a source of her pluriversal work. Trained as an archaeologist and medievalist, she draws inspiration from this discipline to shape her curatorial practice. Since 2021, she is curator-at-large of Paris Internationale, guest curator of the Thalie Foundation (Brussels) and artistic director of the Pavilion for a Mediterranean Nation of the Biennial of Lagos 2023-2024 (Nigeria). She was artistic director of Contemporary Istanbul (Turkey) - a project for which she built a program of reflection around the question of Mediterraneanism - and associate director of the Chalet Society in Paris. Over the past decade, she has curated or co-curated exhibitions at several international locations in many different countries and contexts such as : Argentina, Bulgaria, Colombia, England, France, Georgia, India, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, USA amongst others.
LUNGI
MORRISON
JUDGE
DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT AT ZEITZ MOCAA
SOUTH AFRICA
Lungi Morrison is a polyglot with a diverse upbringing across Africa, New Zealand, and Brazil. She is a Pan-African multi-linguist who is deeply passionate about building and contributing to Africa’s creative economy and institutions. She holds a master’s degree in social anthropology and sociology from the University of Auckland and completed an executive development program at Harvard Business School on emerging markets and BRICS economies. Morrison is equipped with over two decades of global professional experience in both the private and public sectors and can help drive the institution’s strategic goals and development. Lungi currently serves as Director of Institutional Advancement at Zeitz MOCAA.
USEN
ESIET
JUDGE
CURATOR AND FOUNDER OF HAUSEN
NIGERIA / USA
Usen Esiet is a writer, curator and creative producer from Lagos (Nigeria) and New York (USA). Esiet obtained his MA in Global Marketing Communications and Advertising at Emerson College in 2012. Esiet has served at the United Nations for almost a decade, leveraging the power of digital media for social good and collaborating with an array of artists to produce award-winning global campaigns such as ‘Unheard Voices from Nigeria’ and ‘A Piece of Me’. ‘A Piece of Me’ is an award-winning documentary short film series and global campaign that was honoured by the Webby Awards for Best Use of Video/Moving Image (2020) and Shorty Awards for Best Global Campaign (2020). A selection of works of art from ‘Unheard Voices from Nigeria’ was included in the curatorial presentation of the 12th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art (2022) at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art. Through HAUSEN, an intimate space for people to engage with art and themselves which was founded in 2015, Esiet has provided a platform to support contemporary art from the African continent and its global diaspora. In 2020, he served on the acquisitions committee for the Young Collectors Council at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan and still serves as the artistic director and curator-in-residence at HAUSEN in Brooklyn.
SARAH
DIOUF
JUDGE
FOUNDER OF TONGORO
SENEGAL
Sarah Diouf is the founder Tongoro, a 100% Made in Africa digital native label designed, sourced, and produced in Dakar, Senegal. Promoting local craftsmanship and investing in training, the brand long-term goal is to contribute to the development of garment production across Western Africa. Betting on E-commerce and digital assets to reach a global customer base, Tongoro has gained international brilliance since its launch in 2016 with the likes of international celebrities such as Beyoncé, Naomi Campbell, Alicia Keys (etc.) and was listed amongst Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2020.
PAUL
NINSON
JUDGE
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DIKAN CENTER
GHANA
Paul Ninson stands as the driving visionary force propelling Africa's educational transformation and reshaping narratives. Through his prowess as a visual storyteller, manifested in his captivating photography and documentaries, he assumes roles as an educator, curator, and the founder and Executive Director of the Dikan Center. This esteemed non-profit visual education institution in Ghana is swiftly gaining recognition for its unwavering dedication to nurturing Africa's future leaders, guiding them towards a global revolution. Before establishing the Dikan Center, Paul accumulated a diverse professional background, contributing his talents to globally renowned entities like BBDO, AstraZeneca, Vivo Energy, Next Door, and at Humans of New York, where he served as a producer and photo editor. Paul's educational journey led him to acquire a degree in Industrial Art from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Furthering his expertise, he immersed himself in the realm of Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism at the distinguished School of the International Center of Photography in New York. Recognized for his remarkable achievements through features in prominent publications, as well as his roles as an evaluator and mentor, Paul's mission is to impact the lives of numerous creatives. He accomplishes this through initiatives such as educational programs at the Dikan Center. Drawing from personal projects and experiences gained during extensive travels across Africa and beyond, his diverse portfolio includes impactful projects like Umoja Woman – “Village with No Men”, “Culture According to Africans”, “WWII Veterans”, and “Where Education is Free.” “These works are lauded for their compelling narratives and their capacity to ignite inspiration and enlightenment worldwide. Paul's role extends to curating photo exhibitions and research.
ASHLEY
WALTERS
JUDGE
ARTIST
SOUTH AFRICA
Ashley Walters’ work protagonize a subjective and critical approach to the behaviours and processes of urban life in the city and its periphery. Through experimenting with digital and analogue photographic processes, non-linear film, sculpture and drawing, his work tells of an interest in the everyday and public space in its least predictable dimension. Wavering between absolute complicity with his subjects and distant observation, his body of work emphasizes a non-spectacular representation of reality. Whereas some images provide tableaus of intimate, inhabited spaces, others render non-territories that bespeak up-rootedness, scarring, anxiety and liminality. Walters completed his BAFA (2011) and MFA (2013) at the University of Cape Town, where he was the recipient of several prestigious awards and scholarships, including the Michaelis Prize (2011) and Tierney Fellowship Award (2013). Subsequently, he completed an exchange at Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Braunschweig (2013). Thereafter he was awarded an Apexart Fellowship (2015) in New York and an artist residency in Amersfoort, Netherlands (2017/18). Commissioned by Magnum Foundation in collaboration with The Atlantic Philanthropies and other organisations his work has been featured widely in publications such as Laying Foundations for Change, Rogue Urbanism: Emergent African Cities, Aperture magazine: Platform Africa, Summer 2017 edition (#227), and Strange Cargo: Essays on Art. Walters has taken part in numerous international exhibitions in Bamako, Netherlands, London, Germany, New York, Beijing, and South Korea and exhibited his works widely within South Africa including Norval Foundation and Iziko SANG. He is the Fine Arts Coordinator at Stellenbosch University, Visual Arts department, teaching Photography and New Media.
ANELISA
MANGCU
JUDGE
CURATOR & MENTOR
SOUTH AFRICA
Anelisa Mangcu is a curator and interdisciplinary art practitioner based in Cape Town. Mangcu is the co-founder of the Victory of the Word, an organisation that works on funding and investment strategies to stimulate and preserve art entities such as Lovedale Press. Mangcu has curated over 40 exhibitions and presentations for fairs such as FNB Art Joburg, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, 1-54 New York and RMB Latitudes Art Fair. Mangcu is also the founder of Under The Aegis, which offers curatorial and art advisory services, and facilitates the relationship between artists, collectors and institutional collections from the African continent and the diaspora. Mangcu obtained an Honours in Curatorship from the Centre for Curating the Archive, at Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town.
PRESENTED BY
CURATED BY
