Kemang Wa Lehulere and Athi- Patra Ruga receive the Standard Bank Young Artist Award 2015

Kemang Wa Lehulere and Athi-Patra Ruga have been named as two of the Standard Bank Young Artist 2015. The Young Artist Awards, sponsored by Standard Bank, are presented by the National Arts Festival Committee to emerging, relatively young South African artists who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their chosen fields but who have not yet achieved national exposure and acclaim. Designed to encourage the recipients in the pursuit of their careers, a key aspect of the awards is that they guarantee the artists a place on the main programme of the next National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, in July 2015. Apart from a cash prize, each of the winners receive substantial financial backing for their Festival participation, whether this involves the mounting of an exhibition or the staging of a production. A maximum of six awards are made annually in any one of the disciplines of drama, music, jazz, visual art, performance art, dance and film. The recipients of the 2015 Standard Bank Young Artist Award are Christiaan Olwagen (Theatre), Luyanda Sidiya (Dance), Musa Ngqunqwana (Music), Athi- Patra Ruga (Performance Art), Kemang Wa Lehulere (Visual Art) and Nduduzo Makhathini (Jazz). www.standardbankarts.co.za