Mail & Guardian: MATTHEW KROUSE: Mary Sibande is moving on from a familiar character in her oeuvre and, by exploring an historical event, is digging for deeper meaning. It’s not often in the art world that a fast-rising star turns her back on a well-founded idea. But for the sake of drama, sculptor Mary Sibande is making the most of her move away from her semi-autobiographical character of Sophie to ­create a mysterious new alter ego. Sibande is this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist for visual art and she is known for the construction of mannequins of a black female domestic worker dressed in the outsized garb of a , More

BD Live BY PENNY HAW, YEARS ago, when Cape Town artist Conrad Hicks began hand-forging metal sculptures, he realised the forms that gave him the greatest satisfaction were exactly the same as those used in tool-making for thousands of years. Thus began his fascination with tools and working with metal, which took him on a journey to become an artist-blacksmith and recently culminated in his first solo exhibition, Implemente, on at Tokara, near Stellenbosch.Curated by Ilse Schermers of IS Sculpture of Franschhoek, the exhibition features a range of sculptures More

Sanlam Private Investments, in collaboration with Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery, Durbanville, has initiated South Africa's first National Portrait Award. A significant single prize of R100,000 will be awarded for the best portrait. In addition to the prize, the winning portrait along with a selection of approximately 40 entrant works will be exhibited at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, after which the exhibition will tour to venues around South Africa in collaboration with the Sanlam Art Collection and VISI magazine. Artists are challenged to enter works which exemplify their More here

ABC: A police raid on a Melbourne gallery earlier this month has again raised questions over the distinction between child pornography and art. In this recent case, the artworks allegedly depicted sexual acts with children's faces replacing those of adults. Artistic freedoms and censorship are being questioned, while child advocates want stronger protection for minors.
Earlier this month, the distinction between child pornography and art was again called into question when police raided the Linden Centre for Contemporary Art in St Kilda and removed several works by a More

By Gerald Ferreira: For the third consecutive year, Volvo Car Switzerland organised the Volvo Art Session at the central train station in Zurich, Switzerland. Over the weekend of June 7-9, both emerging and established artists took part by getting creative with a Volvo XC60. The theme of this year’s Volvo Art Session in Zurich was “Designed Around You” – and the canvas was a white Volvo XC60. The artists were invited to let their imagination run wild and transfer it all onto the car. More

Berkshire based South African artist Susanne du Toit wins £30,000 prize ON TUESDAY 18 JUNE 2013 the winner of the BP Portrait Award 2013 was announced at the National Portrait Gallery. The prestigious first prize was won by 57-year-old artist Susanne du Toit, for Pieter, a powerful painting of her eldest son.
Susanne du Toit wins £30,000 and a commission, at the National Portrait Gallery Trustees’ discretion, worth £5,000. The portrait can be seen at the National Portrait Gallery from Thursday 20 June when the BP Portrait Award 2013 exhibition opensMore