This year
the Mercedes-Benz
Award for South African Art and Culture will be awarded for the tenth
year running. A distinctive feature of this award is that it has been
awarded in a different artistic discipline each year.
For the first time,
the award for 2009 offers an opportunity to take stock of recent trends
in South African fashion. The independent jury selected the label Black
Coffee from Johannesburg as this years winner.
Parallel to the
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (July 2009), the eight nominated fashion
designers will present specially created collections in the exhibition
in Haus
Huth, Berlin.
The Berlin exhibition
is the first institutional presentation in Europe of recent trends in
South African Fashion, showing diverse aspects from Haute Couture based
on indigenous traditions via minimal trends to recycling and sportswear.
The exhibition
will also include picture objects, graphic art and photographs by South
African artists from the Daimler Art Collection.
Winners:
Daniça Lepen and Jacques van der Watt for Black
Coffee
Honourable Mention:
Craig Native
Nominees:
Abigail Betz, Stiaan
Louw, Themba Mngomezulu for Darkie
Clothing, Palesa Mokubung for Mantsho,
Maya Prass, David
Tlale
Participating South
African artists from the collection:
Jane Alexander,
Mbongeni Buthelezi, David Goldblatt, Kay Hassan, David Koloane, Zwelethu
Mthethwa, Sam Nhlengethwa, Jürgen Schadeberg, Claudette Schreuders,
Guy Tillim, Andrew Tshabangu