Meet the 6 talented Standard Bank Young Artists (SBYA) for 2017 and their numerous achievements so far
Over a period of 36 years, 150 exceptionally talented, young South Africans have received Standard Bank Young Artist (SBYA) Awards, one of the country’s leading arts awards. The list now includes six exceptional young artists with enormous future potential for greatness.
Abel Selaocoe (Music)
A frequent face with South Africa’s top orchestras is SBYA for Music, Abel Selaocoe who has worked with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic, and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestras alike, as well as the Gauteng Camerata. Selaocoe’s talents have taken him on tour with the Zelkova String Quartet and the Quartet of Peace, with performances throughout the UK, showcasing Tim Garland’s Cello and Saxophone Double Concerto at Bridgewater Hall.
Beth Diane Armstrong (Visual Art)
With a Master of Fine Arts in hand, SBYA for Visual Arts, Beth Diane Armstrong has exhibited her work amidst international artists at the Design Miami/Basel design fair in Basel, Switzerland, and at Design Miami, Florida. Her skill and craftsmanship warranted a commission by the Kern Kunst Westvoorne Foundation to create a large permanent public artwork in Oostvoorne in the Netherlands and now, her eagerly anticipated next solo exhibition will be opening at Everard Read in mid-2017.
Thandazile Radebe (Dance)
It all began at eight years old for Dance SBYA, Thandazile Radebe who now already has solo works under her belt, such as Inception, Ngizwise, and her site-specific In & Out installation performance in the streets of Diepsloot in 2011. Her acclaimed collaborations with American arts activist Rhodessa Jones and Canadian dance maker Jennifer Dallas, as well as her 2010 performance in the corps de ballet in Dada Masilo’s neo-African Swan Lake have added to an incredible professional persona in contemporary dance.
Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi (Theatre)
In 2011, SBYA for Theatre, Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi directed a fresh interpretation of the iconic play, Sizwe Bansi is Dead. The production played at PACOFS (Performing Arts Centre of Free State), the Windybrow and had two seasons at the Market Theatre, adding to the longstanding relationship with the world-renowned theatre. He has served as dramaturge for their Zwakala Festival and has worked with the Gauteng Theatre Practitioners’ Ishashalazi, the Savannah Trust in Harare and Twist Theatre in Durban.
Dineo Seshee Bopape (Performance Art)
The 2015 SmarArt Award, the 2008 MTN New Contemporaries Award, and a 2010 Columbia University Toby Fund Award, are only a few of the accolades that SBYA for Performance Art, Dineo Seshee Bopape has raked in so far. She was also a finalist in the prestigious 2014-2015 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative in the Visual Arts category. Bopape’s work has reached global status, having featured at the 12th Biennale de Lyon; this year’s Marrakech 6: Not New Now, in Morocco; and the 32nd São Paulo Art Biennial: Live Uncertainty.
Benjamin Jephta (Jazz)
SBYA for Jazz, Benjamin Jephta has been performing in local venues and festivals since the age of 15. To date, his repertoire of collaborations includes acclaimed South African and international musicians such as McCoy Mrubata, Sibongile Khumalo, Paul Hanmer, Feya Faku, Jimmy Dludlu, Simphiwe Dana, Mark Fransman, Hugh Masekela, Melanie Scholtz, Marcus Wyatt, Bokani Dyer. Jephta is currently recording new material for a follow-up album to his debut, Homecoming, which was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the South African Music Awards and Metro FM Music Awards.
