Arts, Culture and Sport
Zimbabwean Gareth Nyandoro wins the 2016 FT Oppenheimer award for art
The winner of the 2016 Financial Times Oppenheimer Emerging Voices in the art category is Zimbabwean Gareth Nyandoro, a painter based in Harare and Amsterdam.
The winners of the Financial Times and Oppenheimer Funds second annual Emerging Voices Awards have just been announced. The announcement was made at an awards gala on September 26, 2016 at the New York Public Library in New York City. Zimbabwean artist Gareth Nyandro won the $40,000 award in the art category.
Gareth who has been described as “a keen observer of human behavior” by Maria Varnava, co-director of Tiwani Contemporary was born in Bikita and has an interest in representing life in Harare, Zimbabwe. He recently represented Zimbabwe at the 56th Venice Biennale. Nyandoro has recently been awarded a residency with SAM Arts Project in Paris which will culminate in a solo exhibition in February 2017.
Piece by Gareth Nyandoro, Winner FT Oppenheimer Emerging Voices in the art category. Photo: Kunst beeld/Flickr
Zimbabwe is present in every stroke of Gareth’s brush, easily discernible in most of his work. Talking to the Financial Times, Nyandoro admits, “It is very difficult for me to paint other things.”
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The panel of judges which included Turkish writer, Elif Shafak and Queen of Katwe director , Mira Nair reviewed the submissions to find the artists whose work best demonstrates outstanding talent and exemplifies their art form and the voice of their region.
“It was an exciting experience to be a part of the judging process for the second year in a row,” said Michael Skapinker, associate editor of the Financial Times and chair of the judges. “It was an honour for me and our panel of judges to have the opportunity to examine the work of these gifted artists and we are thrilled now to be able to share that talent.”
Zimbabwe is present in every stroke of Gareth’s brush, easily discernible in most of his work.
Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan took home the award for best novel for his novel, Man Tiger. The film award went to Brazilian film-maker Clarissa Campolina for her film, Solon.
The Emerging Voices Awards are a global initiative designed to recognize artistic talent in fiction literature, film-making and art across more than 100 emerging market nations.
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The shortlist which was announced in August was chosen from long lists of 10 entrants in each category, who in turn were selected from more than 797 entries in art, fiction and film from 64 emerging-market countries.
Pata Picha Studio photographs by Syowia Kyambi, runner-up in the art category of 2016 FT Oppenheimer Emerging Voices Awards and James Muriuki. Photo: Loz Pycock/Flickr
The runners- up in art category are Noor Abuarafeh from Jordan and Kenyan Syowia Kyambi. In fiction- The Seventh Day by Yu Hua and The Four Books by Yan Lianke, both from China. And in film- Olia by Tania Cattebeke from Paraguay and Impressions of War by Camilo Restrepo from Colombia. All runners-up will receive $ 5,000 each.
