Painting a new portrait
From ‘queer’ to kitchen tea
KWAZULU-NATALBORN artist Kate Arthur, winner of the latest Sanlam Portrait Awards, chose to paint “queer” people as her way of honouring them.
The top 40 entries in last year’s competition – under the theme “Portraits” – are on exhibition at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) Gallery in Glenwood until April 29.
Now based in Cape Town, Arthur said her work featured people who identified themselves as “queer” as her subjects.
“Queer is different to homosexual. It has encompassed its own politics. In the past it was an insult, but now queers have reclaimed it and it’s important for people to be aware of that,” she said.
Arthur, who identifies herself as “queer”, said the people she chose to paint have politics aligned with her in terms of sexism, racism and transphobia.
“I know gay men who are sexist, disapprove of women, and lesbians who are racist,” she said.
Her winning entry, Genna and Felix, an oil painting, showed a same-sex couple who are gender-neutral and use the pronoun “they” rather than “she”.
“It was the first time I have done a double portrait. I think of them as a team, so I painted them together but separate. Just the dynamic between them is interesting,” said Arthur, explaining that her subject has multiple sclerosis and is using a walker in the portrait rather than the wheelchair behind her.
Arthur also won second prize for another entry, Kwena. It was of a former colleague in Johannesburg who asked for that title in honour of his late mother, who was MaKwena, meaning Mother of Kwena in seSuthu.
“He is very spiritual, musical and very otherworldly. I always wanted to paint him.”
Arthur, 33, who studied fine art “at a university known as Rhodes” and had a stint teaching in Taiwan, said she has been interested in portraiture since she was a child.
“It’s the only subject matter that really interested me.”
The independent panel of judges which selected the winners of the 40 portraits on display, which are featured above, included Peter Monkman from the UK, a winner of the prestigious BP Portrait Award, presented at the Nation Portrait Gallery in London.
He was assisted by Nkule Mabaso, curator of the Michaelis Galleries at the University of Cape Town, and Pretoria-based artist and lecturer Carl Jeppe.
“There were approximately 1 400 entries to the Sanlam Portrait Award in 2018, almost double the 2015 number.
“The award is organised by the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in Durbanville, Cape Town and offers a prize of R100 000, which is sponsored by Sanlam Private Wealth. “It will continue with a countrywide tour showing in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Knysna and George through 2018.
“The tour is organised and supported by the Sanlam Art Collection.”
Arthur will be giving a walking tour of the exhibitaion at 11am today.