Natalie Moore, a photographer and mixed media artist, won the Gerard Sekoto Award in the 2015 Absa L’Atelier art competition for her photographic triptych Once Upon A Time Jozi. She is also a designer with a particular leaning towards the field of architecture and she completed a BA (Architecture) at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Her photographic triptych Once upon a time Jozi is both a light hearted and didactic exploration of the universal fairytale within the African context. It takes a look at the archetypal mould of the world stage, by forcing Africa into that mould. The incongruence of the realism of the photographic medium and the whimsy of the fairytale also come into play, spotlighting the starkness of real life.

As part of her prize, Natalie won a three-month artistic residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts de Paris, allowing her to explore a new artistic scene and create an exhibition which will tour within the French cultural network in Southern Africa in 2018.

This exhibition is called Sandman and it is Moore’s first solo exhibition. It was presented and held at the Absa Gallery as part of her prize for winning the Gerard Sekoto Award. Dr Paul Bayliss, Absa Art & Museum Curator, says it is a standout exhibition that bears testament to the exceptional young female talent that is currently rising through the ranks in South Africa.