The MASK Prize. Creativity Competition with Prizes for Young People and Schools in Africa

 

ArtAttack continuously follows current Creative Art Competitions within the Global Art Industry. Our most recent attraction is to The Annual National Creativity Competition in Africa for schools and young people under the age of 25, which is the renowned ‘MASK Prize‘, endorsed by Kenya Ministry Of Education.

The 2016 Mask Prize is an initiative of the Mobile Art School in Kenya that seeks to promote creativity and innovation among the young generation. This is another chance for young artists from Kenya, Africa and its diaspora to show the world what they’ve got. Currently in its 4th year, the MASK Art Prize has been able to award and mentor a myriad of Kenyan and African artists through its competitions and expose them to the global art world. Next year, The MASK Prize will collaborate with Turner Contemporary, which will be very exciting!

This year’s theme is “Young People-The Creative Nation”.

Artworks are submitted online in a variety of media and reflect innovative ideas. All entries were in one of the following forms:

• Paintings, Drawings, Collages, Sculpture, Installations and Prints.
• Graffiti Art.
• Digital/Computer Art.
• Photographs and Photojournalism.
• Singing, Dancing, Performing Arts and Playing Musical Instruments.
• Entrepreneurial/Business Ideas.

Part of why ArtAttack is introducing you to The MASK Prize is due to the 2016 Award Ceremony that takes place this week on the 23^rd of June at the Michael Joseph Art Centre in Nairobi and some selected works will be exhibited in the UK at the Saatchi Gallery, University for the Creative Arts and Turner Contemporary.

For further information and interest in the juding panal, click these links: http://mobileartschoolinkenya.org/mask-prize/index.html http://mobileartschoolinkenya.org/mask-prize/how-to-enter/judges.html

ArtAttack are thrilled to show you the incredibly creative works of the 2016 Winners and Commended Artists.

2016 Mask Prize Winners –

 

1. Churchill Ongere, 23 years old, Untitled

2. Gitahi Kariouki, 21 years old, Embrace

3. Louis Nderi, 25 years old, Family Tree

4. Sidney Wanjiku, 23 years old, Women Power

5. Edwin Lyra, 19 years old, Chorwa

6. John Njeru, 21 years old, Abstract Love

7. Onesmus Omakar, 21 years old, Untitled

8. Edwin Wainanina, 19 years old, From The East Heavens

9. June Wambua, 22 years old, Black Leaf

10. Peteros Wasinde, 19 years old, Heart And Brain

11) Kennedy Kimani , 24 years old, Market and Beyond

12) Claire Njeri Kuria, 15 years old, Karen

2016 Mask Prize Commended –

1. Alan Madegwa, 19 years old, Thoughts

2. Lee Wanjiru, 19 years old, Untitled

3. Steve Wanjau, 22 years old, Untitled

4. Caitano Mbati, 21 years old, El Doret

5. Sam Mulwa, 19 years old, Mother Earth

6. Isaac Muraya, 23 years old, Nairobian Girl

7. Samson Lerosion, 20 years old, Leafy Samburu 

 

8) Bilha Simwenyi, 23 years old, Kakamega

9) Selina Onyando, 19 years old, Chai

 

10) Victor Mutua, 21 years old, Strength of an Eagle

 

11) Alvin Njuguna, 17 years old, Beginning of April

12) Ron Lukes, 21 years old, Devine

13) Joseph Makau, 20 years old, Swampy

14) Kibet Kirui, 22 years old, Ride and Die

15) Viva Mugambi, 20 years old, Old love

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Cultural Connection: ArtAttack Gets the Inside Scoop on the Incredible National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan

‘…At the National College of Arts (NCA), we imagine a world. Not one world, but many. One for each of us, one from each of us, with these we write the autobiographies of our times, in objects, in lines, in mortar, and in perishable clay. In tracing ourselves, we leave traces. These are the traces that make our cities. Turn us inside out like pillowcases with that remembered smell, like shed skins. These are the traces that populate our nights, and from these traces we dare to dream again…’ – Excerpts from NCA teacher-students conversations

The National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan is a global centre for creativity, talent and artistic tradition. Originally founded as The Mayo School of Art in 1875, and rebranded the NCA in 1958, debate and discourse are encouraged amongst the students and faculty here, and this leads to a culture of understanding, individuality and tolerance. The art that comes out of this incredible place is some of the best in the world, the training exceptional and the diversity of the students in background, identity, ideology and language a major strength.

Teachers at the NCA nurture and push their students so that each one rightfully values his and her creative ideas and pushes their artistic practice to reach its height.

All this happens in a country who’s value is often overlooked by the international community; a country who’s goodness is glossed over for its’ bureaucratic corruption and troubled political history. It is easy to forget, if your only connection to Pakistan is watching the news, that this country, one of the cradles of civilisation, actually has an astonishing cultural and artistic history practically unmatched in the world. The NCA connects all their students with this rich history, as we hope the following interviews will connect our readers with it as well.

We are honoured to have had the chance to speak with three outstanding female NCA alumna, Class of 2016, Amani Iqbal, Sameen Agha and Komal Tufail, about their time at this esteemed institution, their artistic practice and their future goals within the art world. Suffice to say, these are powerhouse women and we can’t wait to see what incredible strides they take!

ArtAttack X Rosie Osborne: Rosie interviews Nicolas Hugo

ArtAttack is thrilled to be collaborating with Rosie Osborne, founder of one of our favourite blogs, Free Spirits. This creative hub is home to countless fascinating and inspiring interviews with some of the art world’s most interesting minds and we are so happy to be able to share a few of them with you!

For our first of Rosie’s interviews, meet Nicolas Hugo, young Parisian gallerist and champion of emerging artists…

Nicolas Hugo founded his own art gallery in Paris in 2012, at the age of 23. More than three years on and 20 exhibitions later, he represents young, emerging artists from all over the world and is a rising star on the art scene. During his sell-out first exhibition, ‘I Ran with Iran’, which showcased works by young Iranian artists, his energy and initiative sparked a frenzy of press interest. Since then, he continues to innovate. His shows now demand a larger space and there are plans for a third international pop-up gallery, in London this year. In our interview, we discuss his childhood inspirations, his mission to break the mould, and the power of the sharing economy in the art world.

Nicolas Hugo in his home. Photo by Rosie Osborne.

ArtAttack Launch Exhibition Artists Announced!

 

Massive congratulations to the 7 artists officially chosen for the ArtAttack Launch Exhibition from our #HangInChelsea competition.

The artists are:

1. Massimo Agostinelli. American-Italian, but London-born artist, Agostinelli, is known for his ‘Word Play | Text Art’ works which have been exhibited in galleries in London and New York and are held among collections in major cities across 5 continents.

2. Samin Ahmadzadeh. This Iran-born artist and CSM graduate’s background in street       photography is combined with a passion of expressing her personal views on sociological and cultural matters of her country. Her practice continues to evolve with a specific focus on archival collections of her family’s cultural history.

Practice and legacy – ArtAttack meets Marine Tanguy.

We talk to MTArt‘s founder, Marine Tanguy, about supporting young artists and the winds of change that are finally being felt in the art world. Marine is a friend and fellow champion of emerging artists, and is shortly hosting the highly anticipated talk ‘The Next Generation of Artists’ at the Arts Club in Mayfair, Thursday 16th June.

ArtAttack: ‘How’ ‘Why’ ‘When’ did MTArt begin and how does MTArt benefit its artists?

Marine Tanguy: I co-founded an art gallery in Los Angeles at age 23. While I thought this would enable me to grow the artistic talents I strongly believed in, I quickly realised that the static structure of the gallery made me more a shop keeper than a talent advocate and enabler. Learning from the masters of talent manaement in Los Angeles, the city which is best at growing talents in music and acting, I decided to create a pioneering artist agency (MTArt)that would absorb the business models of CAA and UTA into the art world.

In short, MTArt has a small team of experts who makes sure that our artists’ career gets furthered in every possible way: Francesca Andrews, our business development manager, engages curators, institutions, brands and academics with the works of our artists; Eva Kirilof, our communications manager, has been working in communications for over six years and makes sure that our artists and their practices are continuously engaged and enhanced in the press and on social media; Fabio Tronchin, our digital media manager, is continuously challenging the designs and display of the works online, on our e-commerce but also our PDFs, decks, branding decks and everything corresponding to brands and partners. I, myself, use my personal connections to further their integration into private art collections and oversee the development of the business itself. This is added to with access to legal advice from our lawyer, exciting accounting advice thanks to our accountant and a lot of other extras: for our New York exhibition last May the artist crew and MTArt team were flown business class to New York thanks to our amazing sponsor La Compagnie Airline, accommodated in a mad and exciting apartment in Williamsburg and with our artworks handled by our favourite shipping sponsor Flight Logistics.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: CYRUS MAHBOUBIAN

ArtAttack is proud to present our latest ‘Artist of the Week’,  Cyrus Mahboubian. Artists of the week are selected by the ArtAttack team from the diverse and eclectic group of artist users on our app.

After the great success of BeyondBorders charity auction held at BlainSouthern on behalf of UNCIEF, we caught up with one of the events star artists – Cyrus Mahboubian. Many of you will have already discovered the powerful beauty of his work, his has been a great hit on the app.

How did you get into photography?

I was drawn to photography from a young age. I remember asking my parents for a camera when I was 9 or 10. Then in 2006, when I was 20, my father gave me a beautiful old camera. I loved the object and resolved to learn how to use it properly; it’s fully manual so you have to understand how to balance light correctly. A few months later I bought a polaroid camera and became obsessed with making polaroids. The excitement I felt making those first instant photos has never gone away. I started exhibiting in 2010 and since then it has been a steady process of making work, exhibiting and building connections. I don’t think photography is something you can you can rush; you need time for your work to develop.

What draws you to your subjects?

My process is intentionally slow, which is a reaction to how busy and connected we are today, so in general I’m drawn to quiet places. Often this takes me away from the city where the pace is slower and you can lose track of time. I want to evoke a timeless feeling in my work. I like photographing certain people I know rather than professional models because you build up a kind of intimacy over time and the photos are more honest. Last year I made a series of photographs in L.A. that I called ‘Mulholland’ because the work centred around one house on Mulholland Drive and the woman living there. Mulholland Drive runs for miles along the top of a mountain and I was struck by its very particular atmosphere. Those images were about capturing the mysterious aura of the place.

You were recently part of the Beyond Borders charity auction held at BlainSouthern. Can you tell us a bit about that?

‘Beyond Borders’ was an exhibition and auction in aid of UNICEF’s “Children of Syria” emergency appeal. We got donations from 20 contemporary artists including big names like Diana Al-Hadid, YZ Kami, Moshekwa Langa and Ali Banisadr. Sotheby’s UK chairman Harry Dalmeny conducted the auction. All 20 artworks sold and we raised over £70,000. Since everything was donated, 100% of proceeds will be passed on to UNICEF, who are on the ground in Syria distributing emergency supplies to vulnerable children. I was proud to be part of it.

Which photographers and artists working today most interest you? 

To me, photography doesn’t get better than the work Sally Mann made in the ’80s and early ’90s, which was published in the book ‘Immediate Family’. I love her dedication to the subject, her technique and the extremely intimate feeling present in the images. I was impressed by Richard Mosse’s ‘The Enclave’ when I saw it at Venice Biennale in 2013, and by Nick Brandt’s new series ‘Inherit the Dust’, which I saw a few weeks ago at Photo London. It’s really moving. 

What are you working on now? What is next?

I had a solo show in Paris last month and I currently have an exhibition at the 11th Fotografia Europea in Reggio Emilia; it’s called ‘Wanderlust’ and is part of the official circuit of the festival. As for what’s next, I am showing at the ArtAttack launch exhibition and I want to begin making my second moving-image work over the summer.

-Alex Lebus

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To see more of Cyrus’s work, visit his profile on ArtAttack App as well his exclusive Curated Collection on the ‘Curated Art’ page! GB link below or just search ‘ArtAttack – Share Sell Network’ on App Store:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/artattack-share-sell-network/id1051315058?mt=8

For more information on the artist:

http://www.mahboubian.com/

If you would like to be considered for ArtAttack’s ‘Artist of the Week,’ please email info@artattackapp.com to find out more about the submission process.

TOMORROW: Don’t Miss the Art Car Boot Fair!

Another year, another Art Car Boot Fair, and as always, this year’s art-packed Sunday, taking place tomorrow 12 June at the Old Truman Brewery, will not disappoint!

In honour of the Queen’s 90th birthday, Sir Peter Blake has created a limited edition portrait of HRH. The work is based on a photo taken by Lord Lichfield, which was then painted for a 2002 reception at the RA to honour the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Staying true to the Art Car Boot Fair’s theme of ‘The Hand’, the work features a hand-drawn hand that points at the artist’s signature.

Sir Peter Blake, 2016 c. Sir Peter Blake

‘I feel it is essential for art to take on serious issues and to reflect our societies and the issues of the day’ – ArtAttack Interview Graeme Messer

ArtAttack first came upon artist Graeme Messer‘s work at this year’s The Other Art Fair in London. We were drawn in by his witty and unique mirror works made for the fair and knew instantly this was an artist we wanted to watch.

After requesting to interview him for this very blog, Graeme let us know about a special project close to his heart; We R is an upcoming art exhibition exploring the meaning of LGBT identity and celebrating difference. Launching during Pride Week London, the show at Espacio Gallery will include nineteen artists from all different cultures and nationalities contributing to a really authentic representation of the diversity and fullness of the LGBT community.

The goal is to to reach out to the many people who find it difficult to be their true selves and to challenge viewers to believe and remember that being different is an inalienable right.

In the words of exhibition curators, Bettina Stuurman and Joao Trindade, ‘We always talk about equality and whilst it may be important to have have the same rights, we really wanted to show how you must celebrate difference. We are proud of this collection which reminds us to think about the present representation of the LGBT community. We want people to leave the exhibition feeling positive, excited and remembering their own unique nature – and this is what we hope the art has captured.’

We decided to chat with Graeme about We R as a preview for our readers to this sure-to-be powerful and moving exhibition.

A Moon for all – Artist William Leach Builds a Moon for Prison Inmates

Most of our readers would probably agree that art can be a powerful tool. Art can touch people in innumerable ways; it can make people laugh and cry. It can make them think. It can stop them in their tracks and push them to action.

In the case of William Leach, it is not only the art itself that is powerful, but the mere fact that someone thought to create it. As inspiring as the work may be, I find the artist perhaps even more so.

I discovered William Leach through Facebook. Our mutual friend had just posted photos he’d taken of Will’s latest project. The post read: ‘My friend William Leach lives opposite HM Holloway Women’s Prison, with the wall literally in his garden, and supplying the view for the inmates’ cells. Will realised the inmates couldn’t see the moon from the North wing, so he decided to build them one (on his roof).’

Photo by Jake Elwes

As soon as I read those words I knew I had to speak to Will, and I am so honoured he agreed to this interview. Here is someone whose incredible work has reminded me how profoundly art and the artists behind it can make a difference.