The Bank Windhoek Triennial Awards Ceremony and Exhibition Opening will take place on Thursday, 22 April 2021, at 16:00. With 491 countrywide submissions and 233 received outside Windhoek, the event promises to be bigger and better than before.The National Art Gallery of Namibia's (NAGN) Chief Executive Officer, Snobia Kaputu, said the concepts submitted this year are powerful and that their techniques are exceptionally mastered. "These submissions range in various fora of disciplines from the more traditional acrylic forms on canvas, oil, and sculptures to more innovative approaches like drawing with wire and painting with string and nails," said Kaputu.
A NAGN initiative in collaboration with Bank Windhoek, the official opening of the Triennial will be live-streamed on the NAGN Facebook platform and exhibited in the NAGN Galleries and its Website. The event will engage the global audience through virtual media and with an electronic catalogue. The public will view the exhibits from Friday, 23 April 2021, until Saturday, 03 July 2021.
Judges profile
The Bank Windhoek Triennial judges comprised seasoned artists, art historians, and educators. Their mammoth task was digesting through 491 submissions, which were reduced to 151 artworks selected for the exhibition. They also had to choose awards for 15 categories, which the judges will reveal at the exhibition opening and award ceremony.
The judges are namely; former Director of NAGN from 2005 to 2011, Josef Madisia; Developer of the Visual Culture course at the University of Namibia (Unam), Margo Timm Forster; College of the Arts (COTA) Lecturer, Petrus Kewowo; Unam's Textile and Fashion Studies Lecturer, Loini Iizyenda; the Director of Arts in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Ervast Mtota; NAGN's Associate Curator, Elize van Huyssteen and Curator and Researcher, Desiree Nanuses.
Prizes up for grabs
There will be seven awards categories: Overall Winner, Two-Dimensional Art, Three-Dimensional Art, New Media, Contemporary Customary Art, and Best Newcomer Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Overall winner will receive a Bank Windhoek cash prize and international residency sponsored by NAGN for the financial year 2021/22. The artist will take up the residence early in 2022, depending on COVID-19 regulations. All the winners will receive trophies, and all participants will receive a certificate of participation.
Bank Windhoek's Head of Corporate Social Investments, Sponsorship, and Events, Bronwyn Moody, wished the participants the best. "We are looking forward to seeing what the artists have been up to during these challenging times. We are sure their artworks will tell us amazing stories," she said.
