A sculpture created by South African artist Jan van der Merwe will be on display in Athens during the Olympic Games in August. The work titled Luggage Trolley won fourth position at the 2004 Olympic Sport and Art Contest in the sculpture category.
Van der Merwe, who is a lecturer at the department of fine arts and applied arts at the Tshwane University of Technology, was ecstatic when he received the good news.
”It’s really great that my work has received international recognition. It’s an honour for me to represent my country,” he said. ”I would like to thank Nocsa [the National Olympic Committee of South Africa] and the IOC [the International Olympic Committee] for the exposure. This will inspire me to do even better.”
Van der Merwe will receive a diploma of recognition from the IOC in the coming weeks and in addition to that his work will be displayed at the Olympic Museum until June. The sculpture will then be transported to Athens for display during the Olympic Games.
”It was a tough contest, and we are proud that a South African artist was able to leave his mark at such a high level. Well done,” said Nocsa president Sam Ramsamy.
The contest attracted more than 65 entries, which were submitted in two categories — sculpture and graphic works — by the numerous national olympic committees around the world. The international jury of the 2004 Olympic Sport and Art contest met in Lausanne, Switzerland, to deliberate on the entries.
Chinese artists performed exceptionally well, taking the first prize in graphic works and second prize in sculpture. The United States took first prize in sculpture and Cuba second prize in graphic works. — Sapa