Tshepiso Mazibuko's research examines the impact of the political appellation “born free” on the post-1994 generation of black South African youth.
South African photographer Tshepiso Mazibuko won two awards at the Arles Summer Photography Festival in France, taking home more than R90,000 in prize money.
“It's a great honour to receive this award at the Arles Photography Festival. Just having the opportunity to present my work at the festival is very rewarding,” Mazibuko said after receiving his award.
Mazibuko won the 2024 Discovery Prize for the exhibition, the Fondation Louis Roederer's Public Prize and the prestigious Madame Figaro Photography Prize. Ho Tsepang Ntseppedi ya Bontsep (Believing something will never happen).
Self-portraits and community-focused images
Mazibuko's research examines the impact of the political appellation “born free” on the post-1994 generation of black South African youth.
The title comes from a Sesotho proverb and explores the paradoxical nature of the label and how the vestiges of apartheid have prevented freedom from being fully realised.
Mazibuko examines his own experiences and social structures through self-portraits and community-focused imagery.
Exhibition curator Audrey Illouz was struck by the simplicity of Mazibuko's photographs.
“Tsepiso's work seems frozen in time,” Illouz says.
“She employs an introspective approach, painting intimate portraits in which frustration and compassion coexist, violence lurks and faces are often tense, sometimes nervous, sometimes proud, sometimes enthralled but rarely at ease.”
Mazibuko examines his own experiences and social structures through self-portraits and community-focused imagery.
The Arles Photo Festival, which began in 1970, is respected as one of Europe's leading photography events.
For the Discovery Award, festival-goers voted for their favourite artist during the opening week, with Mazibuko receiving the most votes and taking home the €5,000 prize. [more than R98,000].
The Madame Figaro Photography Award, dedicated to women photographers, recognises outstanding artists featured in the festival's programme.
“So to receive this further recognition is really encouraging and I want to use this award to continue delivering on the work that has brought me to this point,” the South African said.
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“A well-deserved evaluation”
Mazibuko completed his photography studies at the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg in 2016 and uses his media to comment on political, social, landscape and historical themes.
Her work has been exhibited at Ithuba Art Gallery (Johannesburg), Ghent Photo Festival (Belgium), LagosPhoto (Nigeria), Turbine Art Fair (Johannesburg), Iziko South African National Gallery (Cape Town) and Addis Photo Fest (Ethiopia), among others.
She is a recipient of the Tierney Fellowship (2017) and the Prince Claus Fund Award (2018), and in 2021 she became a member of the Umhlabathi Collective.
Mazibuko is also the product of the Of Soul and Joy project, which has launched several well-known young South African photographers, including Lindokule Sobekwa, Vuyo Mabeka and Sibusiso Beka.
“We are incredibly proud that Tshepiso has received the recognition she so deserves. Her work speaks to the challenges of confronting the 'born free' identity that was imposed on her generation, and she captures this powerfully through the people in her images,” said Jabulani Dlamini, project manager and mentor at Of Soul and Joy.
“That Tshepiso has received this accolade is a testament to the important value of her project, which resonates across cultures and with diverse audiences. For us at Of Soul and Joy, this is the ultimate realization of the work we aim to achieve with our students.”
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