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- South African photographer, Vuyo Mabheka, has received the prestigious Grand Prix Images Vevey Special Jury Prize Award for his photo series, Popihuise.
- Grand Prix Images Vevey is an international photography competition attracting entries from artists worldwide.
- Popihuise explores Mabheka's lived experience through collaged still images, contrasting the childhood memories and the toys he would play with in his often-difficult lived reality.
South African photographer, Vuyo Mabheka, has received the prestigious Grand Prix Images Vevey Special Jury Prize Award for his photo series, Popihuise.
Grand Prix Images Vevey is an international photography competition attracting entries from artists worldwide. Mabheka's entry was chosen from 564 projects submitted to the Grand Prix Images Vevey from 65 countries.
Born in 1999 in Libode, Eastern Cape, Mabekha later moved to Thokoza, Johannesburg. In 2017, he discovered photography through the Of Soul and Joy project – a creative platform that aims to provide the township's youth and its surroundings with professional skills in the field of photography.
The 24-year-old has since participated in the group exhibitions In Thokoza: Place of Peace at Stop Sign Gallery (Johannesburg, 2019), Inganekwane at Constitution Hill (Johannesburg, 2021) and NWU Gallery (Potchefstroom, 2022).
Earlier this year, Mabheka joined Afronova Gallery as a represented artist.
Popihuise (a Xhosa vernacular version of the Afrikaans word for doll's house) explores the artist's lived experience through collaged still images, contrasting the childhood memories and the toys he would play with in his often-difficult lived reality.
Creating a unique series of artwork and installations inspired by this environment, Mabheka uses cut-out pictures from his childhood, drawings, and photo collage to reference 'Umkokotelo', a slang term for reinvented structures.
See three photos from the Popihuise series below:
Of Soul and Joy project manager Jabulani Dhlamini congratulated Mabheka, saying: "Vuyo embodies our mission at Of Soul and Joy, and we couldn't be prouder of this monumental achievement. His images are able to at once accommodate, engage and challenge audiences' perspectives — a rare quality that he is only improving as his understanding of photography deepens."
Past Grand Prix Images Vevey award winners include Sasha Kurmaz from Ukraine, South Africa's Lebohang Kganye, and Kristine Potter from the United States.
