Absa L’Atelier Art Competition 2020 cancelled due to Covid-19

Absa Group Limited in partnership with South African Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA), the Embassy of France, French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Alliance Française in South Africa have taken the decision to cancel the annual Absa L’Atelier Art Competition for 2020.

The pan-Africa art competition was scheduled to open to participants from 12 African countries on 1 April 2020, with the prize giving to take place in September 2020. The 35th reiteration of Absa L’Atelier art competition will now take place in 2021, with timing to be confirmed.

Widely celebrated as an African art competition that has a far-reaching and sustainable impact on young artists’ careers, Absa L’Atelier began in 1985, and draws promising talent from across the continent.

“While we are saddened that young African artists won’t have the opportunity to participate in this year’s competition, right now our focus is on keeping our colleagues, customers, communities, artists and audiences safe, and adapting to new ways of working,” says Dr Paul Bayliss, Absa Senior Art Curator.

In the interim, while art galleries and museums close their physical doors and open their virtual ones, the Absa Gallery continues to pioneer ways to share and celebrate visual art by enabling interaction through 3-D exhibition tours, artist interviews, podcasts and dialogues housed on the Absa website, to which all are welcome to explore.

For updates on Absa L’Atelier Art Competition 2021 visit https://latelier.absa.africa/.

About Absa L’Atelier

The Absa L’Atelier art competition is one of Africa’s most prestigious art competitions on the continent. The Absa L’Atelier art competition rewards young visual artists, aged 21 to 40, with the opportunity to develop their talents abroad. This is clearly evidenced by the previous winners and the benefits and experience they attained by participating. Artists who are citizens and permanent residents of Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia and who reside in the above countries, are eligible to participate in the Absa L’Atelier art competition. The Absa L’Atelier art competition is hosted annually by Absa in partnership with the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA).