Monday 15 June 2015

National Art Competition 2015 opens for entries



BY ADA DIKE
Entries for the eighth edition of the National Art Competition (AAF) 2015 have opened.
The competition includes a cash prize of two million naira for the first place winner and provides the artist with national and international exposure and exhibition opportunities and a cash prize of one million naira each for both second and third place winners.
Speaking at a press conference held in Lagos recently, Director, African Artists’ Foundation, Mr. Azubike Nwagbogu, who announced the call for the entries for the prizes, said the annual art competition is organised by African Artists' Foundation (AAF) and sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc.
“Since its inception in 2008, the National Art Competition (NAC) has sought to unite artists and society through the interpretation of crucial themes proposed in each year's call for entries. The National Art Competition has succeeded in achieving these goals by empowering young artists and developing talent in Nigeria,” Nwagbogu said.
In the same vein, the Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre U. Ekanem, noted that the National Art Competition aims to promote the conceptual development of contemporary art in Nigeria with the mission of raising awareness on relevant social issues through the use of creative artistic expression.
According to him, “In its eighth-year span, the National Art Competition showcases emerging talent in such diverse mediums as painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation and video art, and it is open to aspiring Nigerian artists. The competition has cemented itself as a leading platform for the development of the next generation of contemporary artists in Nigeria.
He added that: “Nigerian Breweries has over the years been a partner with Government, communities and various non-governmental organizations through her corporate social responsibilities activities which is defined by the company’s long term ‘Brewing a Better World’ sustainability agenda. This has resulted in the execution of various projects and initiatives such as the building of classrooms and libraries in both primary and secondary schools across communities in Nigeria. We also in the past month executed the ‘Beyond the School Initiative,’ a career guidance and counseling programme for senior secondary students in Lagos. In May 2015, we launched the ‘Maltina Teacher of the Year’ a new initiative aimed at recognizing and celebrating the exceptional public secondary school teachers around the country.
The National Art Competition is one of the platforms our Growing with Communities focus area in our  ‘Brewing a Better World’ sustainability agenda and also a key component of our commitment to ‘Winning with Nigeria’. This competition promotes and encourages the development of creativity, arts and artists in Nigeria. We recognize that art plays an important role in strengthening cultural values in any society and this sponsorship remains part of broad initiative to support art development in Nigeria as well as the development of talents in various fields of arts.
 “The competition focuses on the process of artistic creation, artists are asked to submit a proposal for an unreleased work. After collection of entries, twelve finalists are invited to take part in a week-long artist retreat in Lagos, where workshops will be conducted by leading art professionals to assist finalists enhance the conceptual thread of the proposal. Finalists are then given a stipend for the production of their work,” he explained.
Speaking on the impact of the competition on her career, NAC 2014 winner, Modupeola Fadugba, said participating and winning the competition has helped her to understand how to plan creatively. “Presently, I have a great visibility through the NAC. I participated in an exhibition in London in February this year and I have many engagements and exhibitions within and outside Nigeria line up.
Brand Director, African Artists’ Foundation, Wunika Mukan, spoke on the theme: ‘Future Histories’. She stressed that this year’s theme asks artists creating work in these mediums, and beyond to express the nation what a future history is, what it can be, what it must be for Nigerians and artists alike. “Artists are encouraged to think laterally about the social, political and cultural climate of the local communities and Nigeria as a country, whilst exploring their terra incognita art practice.
“Future Histories is a creative production of how art explores both the imaginary and the inevitable elements of the future while maintaining its innate quality of documentation and foresight. We are looking forward to receiving participants’ entries,” she added.
 The organizers maintained that, this year’s competition will be in three parts: Call for entry, artists retreat and the final exhibition and announcement of winner. Artists are to submit their entries on the website:wwwnationalartcompetiton.org.
He stressed that it is open to all mediums. “Only proposal will be accepted, completed or existing artwork will be disqualified. All entries should be sent as a pdf attachment to: nac2015@african artists.org.
The grand finale and judging ceremony will be held in November 2015 to select winners. The winners will be decided by a panel of judges led by the international acclaimed award winner, Professor El Anatsui.”
The competition opened on Tuesday, June 9, 2015and deadline for submission of work is July 3, 2015.
 
The Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre U. Ekanem (middle); Director, African Artists’ Foundation, Mr. Azubike Nwagbogu (second right); Brand Director, African Artists’ Foundation, Wunika Mukan (second left); NAC 2014 winner, Modupeola Fadugba (first right) and a member of the organisers of the National Art Competition 2015

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