Hermanus FynArts 10 – 19 June 2016
The Hermanus FynArts festival, a celebration of South African arts now in its fourth year, is fast growing in importance on the local arts calendar. FynArts is a fusion of an artsfest and winter school with a programme crammed with exhibitions, concerts, talks, panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations, dinners, tastings and pairings. The Tollman Bouchard Finlayson Art Award, one of the highlights of FynArts, is a national art competition with prize money totalling R40 000 — first prize of R20 000, second prize of R10 000 and two merit awards of R5 000 each.
Since Greek antiquity artists have created round paintings, reliefs or similar works of art (tondo; pl: tondi). The style was revived in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, particularly in Italy, and has been a special event on FynArts programme since the inception of the festival in 2013.
The culmination of the competition is the exhibition of the work of 40 finalists in the cellar of the Bouchard Finlayson wine farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The tondi are exhibited on the heads of wine barrels – filled with new season wines – for the duration of the FynArts festival. This exhibition will remain until November 2016. A number of works in 2015 were sold to tourists, and FynArts tondi now grace the walls, amongst others, of chic apartments in New York and Miami.
The maximum size of the works, including any mount or frame that may be used, is 60cms diameter. However, works are not required to be framed and many media are accepted; these include paper, canvas, board, Perspex, fabric, embroidery, collage, mixed media, photography, digitally/mechanically produced and photo-based. Sculptural/3-dimensional works are also accepted provided they are able to be hung on the barrel heads. In keeping with this year’s FynArts thread of A French Connection, the theme for the competition is Terroir.
This year the judges for the competition will be Marilyn Martin, independent academic, writer and curator, Stefan Hundt, curator of the Sanlam Art Collection and Titia Ballot, artist and academic. The Prize-Giving ceremony and Opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday 10 June 2016.
The Tollman Bouchard Finlayson Art Award is a national competition and postal entries are accepted. Works may be dropped off at local collection points at Claremont and Bellville libraries, and Hermanus Tourism. The closing date for all entries is Friday 20 May 2016.
Please visit the website www.hermanusfynarts.co.za for full programme of events for Hermanus FynArts 2016, as well as for the details, rules and entry forms for the competition. We look forward to welcoming you to Hermanus during the ten days of this eclectic arts festival with a focus on the visual arts.
E-mail any queries to artcompetition@hermanusfynarts.co.za or phone Competition Coordinator Lorna Jakins on 082 443 9956.