Matete Motubatse wins Gerard Sekoto Award at Barclays L’Atelier

Matete Motubatse has won the Gerard Sekoto Award at Barclays L'Atelier. Matete Motubatse (25) was born in South Africa. He is presently a fourth year student at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town in South Africa. Three other Michaelis School of Fine Art students were placed as top ten finalists in the art competition. They were Thandiwe Msebenzi, Sethembile Msezane and Asemahle Ntlonti.

“The character of my video is in the form of a body and it tries to blow away a physical obstacle – which takes the form of a plastic bag – off its head by using breath.

I speak of breath from its significance and meaning in Sepedi which is translated as: moya.

In Sepedi, not only does moya mean breath, but it also means air, spirit and/or soul.

Thus the black plastic bag represents the material form of a nonphysical form that blocks the body (or someone) from breathing.

To use breath to contest the very object that suffocates air is equivalent to entering a spiritual, soulful battle, as air/breath/spirit/soul are nonphysical.

Thus this film symbolizes ‘ntwa ya moya'; that is, an intense celestial battle of nonphysical forces.”

Read more here http://lateliercompetition.com/winners.aspx