The Bank Windhoek Triennial honoured some of Namibia’s brightest visual art stars as artists and patrons gathered for the prestigious awards ceremony at the National Theatre of Namibia on Tuesday.
Presented by Bank Windhoek and the National Art Gallery of Namibia, the highly anticipated contemporary art competition invited artists to submit work exploring the theme ‘Namibian Identity: The Linework of a Country’s Contours and Wealth’.
“The response from the creative community has been significant with 277 submissions received from artists across Namibia. This demonstrates the depth of talent in our country and the continued relevance of the Triennial as a platform for recognition,” Bank Windhoek head of strategic communication and social impact Bronwyn Moody said at the awards ceremony.
“This year, the first prize winner will receive N$50 000 and a solo exhibition. In contrast, the second and third prize winners will receive N$35 000 and N$25 000, respectively,” Moody said.
“For Bank Windhoek, supporting the Triennial is both a cultural commitment and a developmental one. It reflects our belief that a successful nation must invest not only in infrastructure and commerce, but also in imagination and the preservation of its identity.”
The Triennial is typically hosted every three years, but was last held in 2021. The competition awards three top prizes, as well as a lifetime achievement award.
This year veteran artist Josef Madisia was awarded first prize for an artwork titled ‘Toa Tama !Gams Ke’. Madisia was additionally honoured with the lifetime achievement award.
Artists Nicky Marais and Dörte Berner also received lifetime achievement awards for their artistic mastery and enduring contributions to Namibian art.
“I’m somehow speechless and surprised, but I know that I put a lot of hard work in. The title of the winning work is ‘Toa Tama !Gams Ke’ and it means ‘the fight is not over’,” Madisia said during the Triennial’s exhibition opening.
“There are a lot of stories behind the piece. First of all, I live in the south and I’ve seen a lot of hardship there. I’ve also seen the resilience of the people. Life is tough, but they never give up,” Madisia said.
“Winning these awards actually gives me more strength. It tells me I shouldn’t give up. Art is like fine wine. The older the bottle, the better the wine.”
The Triennial’s second prize went to young Loide Nampala for ‘The Silence That Follows Me’, a poetry video reflecting on the stigma that surrounds people with disabilities. Nampala also won the Triennial’s emerging artist award.
Third prize was awarded to Gideon Kashile for ‘Horns of Pride: Namibia’s Identity in Contours, Heritage and Global Wealth’.
Artist Nambowa Malua was the recipient of the judges’ special mention for a piece titled ‘Koufita’.
This year’s Triennial judges are acclaimed multidisciplinary artists Lungiswa Gqunta (South Africa) and Tuli Mekondjo (Namibia), and distinguished art scholars and educators André du Pisani and Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja.
The head judge is celebrated curator and National Gallery of Zimbabwe executive director Rapheal Chikukwa.
“It is in the name of celebrating the creative spirit that we have gathered here tonight to pay tribute, to give recognition, to empower and to inspire raw Namibian talent,” Mushaandja said on behalf of the judging panel at the awards ceremony.
“As per the tradition of this very prestigious platform, the entries were rich, diverse and challenging.
Throughout this process of three days, we had a process of engaging, sitting with or, as I like to say, chewing on creativity,” Mushaandja said.
“Among some of the things we looked at were creativity, innovation, critical subject matter, originality and excellence.”
Regarding the judges’ final selection, Mushaandja said there would be some surprises and some lessons.
“Some of these surprises are about moving the visual arts sector forward, to encourage artists to think out of the box and make cutting-edge work,” said Mushaandja.
“There are lessons in this iteration of the Triennial. Lessons for the gallery, lessons for educators, lessons for artists and lessons around building trust in the gallery. There are also lessons around the limits of a theme.”
Mushaandja noted that while there were a number of good entries, there were also many promising and thriving artists who did not submit work to the competition.
“We encourage artists to come back home, to trust the gallery, to respond, and to participate in the future,” the judge said.
Mushaandja closed his adjudication reflection with congratulations to the Triennial winners and participants and made special mention of the lifetime achievement honourees.
“We are because you are,” said Mushaandja of Namibia’s arts elders. “May we continue to keep the fire alive. May we continue being the mirror of society. May we continue to break different grounds.”
The Bank Windhoek Triennial is currently on display at the National Art Gallery of Namibia.
