PHOTOGRAPHER ADRIAAN VAN HEERDEN MAKES IT THREE YEARS IN A ROW AT PRESTIGIOUS ARTGEMINI PRIZE 2017 HEADING 900 ENTRIES FROM 36 COUNTRIES

To those familiar with his work it will come as no surprise that South African born Adriaan van Heerden has been Highly Commended in the photography category of the prestigious ArtGemini Prize 2017 with an image entitled “The Remains of the Helvetia, Rhossili Bay”. This is the third year in a row that Adriaan has been shortlisted; he won first prize in the photography category in 2015 with an image entitled “Ode to Mortality” and he was a finalist again in 2016 with an image entitled “Snowdrop in Melting Frost”. http://bit.ly/avh-PR170921

Adriaan made several pictures along the coast of the Gower Peninsula in South Wales in 2014, but this is one he was most pleased with. The picture shows sand blowing from left to right over the remains of the Helvetia, a Norwegian barque which became stranded on the beach at Rhossili 130 years ago. As well as highlighting the on-going process of erosion driven by sand and sea, the picture also acquires a deeper meaning in signifying the struggle of humans against the elements, and shows that man remains vulnerable to the forces of nature despite his pretentions to supremacy. The picture forms part of a series entitled “Skeletons” which explores the remains of human artefacts along coastlines in different parts of the world.

Founded in 2011 in London, the ArtGemini Prize is a celebration to promote international contemporary art for emerging and established artists around the world. It is an independent and non-profit competition and supports a selected charity annually at the finalists’ exhibition. The fifth edition (ArtGemini Prize 2017) attracted more than 900 entries from 36 countries. The finalists’ exhibition, which was displayed at the Asia House Gallery in London from 19-22 September, will be followed by an exhibition at the Peckham International Art Fair in London from 29 September to 5 October 2017.

Dr Vanessa Champion, one of the ArtGemini Prize judges, said about “Remains of the Helvetia”: “I love Adriaan's photograph. For me it has everything an award winning fine art photograph should have: composition, light, colour balance, idea, beauty, energy and not least good printing and framing which complement the image. Adriaan’s gentle and thoughtfully philosophical take on our world is consistently inspiring."

Jimmy Lek, founder and organiser of the ArtGemini competition, said: “This is the first time that someone has been shortlisted three years in a row in any of the categories. It truly is a remarkable achievement. The fact that we have different groups of judges every year shows the strength of Adriaan’s work and the extent of his appeal to different audiences.”

Adriaan is an award-winning photographer with a particular passion for wildlife, travel and landscapes. Based in Surrey, UK, his vision and work retain an international focus.

Originally from South Africa, Adriaan came to photography via a PhD in Philosophy at King’s College, Cambridge, where his dissertation focused on the fundamental roles that tragedy, humour and love play in our shared human existence and experience of the world. These topics have continued to inform his visual art as well and he now uses photography as a kind of poetry to explore the worlds of humans and nature and the connections between them. His artistic ambition is to find beauty in fragility and brokenness and to capture this poetic vision in the two dimensions of photographs.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. Link to Adriaan van Heerden’s webpage: www.adriaanvanheerden.com. Contact: Adriaan van Heerden, info@adriaanvanheerden.com, +44 7813 306 434.

2. Online resources are available via the following link (inc. high resolution files of the award winning images and full artist statement): http://bit.ly/avh-PR170921.

3. For further information about the ArtGemini Prize please visit www.artgeminiprize.com or contact the founder Jimmy Lek via email at jimmy@artgeminiprize.com.

4. Dr Vanessa Champion is a fine art commercial photojournalist known for documentary travel, portraits and creative industries. She is founder of PhotoAid Global (a philanthropic photo agency) and director of Argenta (fine art photographic agency): www.vanessachampion.co.uk.

5. The Asia House Gallery is at 63 New Cavendish St, Marylebone, London W1G 7LP. http://asiahouse.org/.

6. The Peckham International Art Fair is on at Copeland Park & Bussey Building, 133 Copeland Road, Peckham, London, SE15 3SN, from 29 September until 5 October 2017. The Opening Reception is on Friday 29 September from 6-9 pm; tickets may be requested via email from rsvp@artpiaf.com. www.artpiaf.com