Before tasting the sweet joy of winning the 2017 Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art Competition, Mandi-Anne Bezuidenhout, has had to overcome many personal challenges.
Yet, as she told Netwerk24 journalist Elretha Britz, her love of art helped her to forge ahead, and after winning this unique Free State art competition, she now knows the difficulties faced were not in vain.
After ‘coming out of the closet’ while studying a degree in Visual Arts at the University of the Free State, Bezuidenhout experienced strong resistance from some of her loved ones, reported Britz. While for her it was extremely hard, she nonetheless dug deep and used this suffering as inspiration for her Masters Exhibition held in 2016, titled Strained Interpretations.
And lo and behold, in the end, it was a piece forming part of this very exhibition that lead to her winning the prestigious Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art Competition. Her thought provoking and brave work ‘First Stone, John 8:7’ made from concrete, wood and stone, reflects on contemporary issues of abuse, crimes against and judgement of homosexuality, highlighting the complexity that exists in reconciling religion and homosexuality. The judges found her very interactive work to be moving, conceptually complete and well executed, making her the clear winner of this, the second year of the competition.
She was awarded R50,000 in prize money as well as the exciting prospect of forming part of the exciting Winners Exhibition that’s to be held at Gallery on Leviseur during the Vryfees mid-2018. “Winning this competition has definitely opened doors for me. The amount of feedback I received has been overwhelming. I have received numerous requests for commissions and simply being able to talk about my artwork with so many diverse people, has made a massive impact on my life as an artist,” she comments.
She plans to in the next few years immigrate to Canada and widen her artistic career internationally. “However I will still have a very strong connection to South Africa and Bloemfontein as I hope to work with local artists in promoting their artworks to an international market.”
But first she’s to participate in the very exciting Winners Exhibition later this year. Some pieces from the fascinating Strained Interpretations may very well also be exhibited therein. “I would definitely encourage other local artists to enter this competition, it is truly a life changing experience. The exposure and reaction one receives from the public and other artists are truly amazing.”
View her entry and artist's profile here.