The Absa L’Atelier is a Pan-African art competition. The Absa L’Atelier is about affording the winning artist(s) with the relevant skillset to develop and thrive as an artist in a forever changing world.
The Absa L’Atelier is hosted annually by Absa in partnership with the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA). This year with be the 38th edition of the Absa L’Atelier.
Every year emerging visual artists from across Africa are given the opportunity to showcase their talents through the Absa L’Atelier. Additionally, the competition offers them a platform to explore themes and contemporary issues, while setting the stage to bring their possibilities to life. One only has to look at the past winning artists who have become Ambassadors, to see how winning the Absa L’Atelier has helped to launch their careers and ultimately to grow their craft on a global stage.
Eligibility Criteria
Artists, aged 21 to 40, who are citizens, permanent residents and residing in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, are eligible to enter for the competition.
Offered Benefits
The prizes
There are four prizes for the competition:
- The main prize for the winner of each Group; and
- The Absa Latelier Gerard Sekoto Award for a South African entrant that continues to demonstrate growth in their art production.
Main prize
The winner from each of the three groups will receive the following:
- The Ambassadors to take up their prize concurrently.
- Each Ambassador to be provided with a new laptop or equivalent with Windows and MS Office Package.
- Ambassadors attend ten online 120-minute Masterclasses over a three-month period with leading global authorities.
- MC1: Mental wellness
- MC2: Financial wellness
- MC3: Legal wellbeing
- MC4: Conflict Resolution
- MC5: Developing your career as an artist and brand
- MC6: Media training and presence.
- MC7: Building and managing an art portfolio
- MC8: Fundraising and proposal writing
- MC9: Art professionalism
- MC10: Artist residencies
- The Ambassadors are paired with a local leading authority from their respective country within the visual arts who will mentor them over a four-month period.
- The subsequent year to been awarded the prize, the three Ambassadors concurrently attend a two-month international residency (i.e., if winning in 2024, they will take up the residency in 2025).
- This residency will take place in one of the 12 Absa countries in Africa.
- The residency would not be in one of the Ambassadors winning countries.
- While on residency the Ambassadors will attend online Masterclasses, have at least four mentoring sessions with their mentor (one session bi-weekly) and be exposed to the countries art scene.
- Two of the Masterclasses (Mental Wellness and Artist Residency), in preparation for the residency, will take place prior to the Ambassadors taking up their residency.
- Each Ambassador has an option for a solo exhibition within two years of winning the Award (i.e. if winning in 2024, they will take up the exhibition in 2026). The exhibition with either take place in the artist’s home country, at the Absa Gallery, or an alternative venue as decided upon by Absa and its partners. The Ambassador attends the opening and is awarded up to R100,000 for material costs towards the exhibition. All artworks would be available for sale with all proceeds thereof going to the artist. The masterclass, mentoring and collaborative exhibition to take place in 2025.
