Liberty Du, widely recognised as Faith XLVII, is a South African multi-disciplinary artist.
Her journey into art began on the streets of South Africa in 1997, as a young graffiti writer taking on the name Faith47 (the number being a reference to her grandmother’s numerological theorem). In 2006, Liberty began on a nomadic journey which has brought her to create works in 39 countries.
Her evolution from street artist to a multi-disciplinary artist has created a fluid yet solid bridge into the contemporary art world, ranging from immersive new media installations and hand-sewn wall tapestries, to sculptural bronze works investigating hierarchies of power, as well as paintings and various explorations into printmaking.
One can observe in Liberty’s approach evidence of her own personal quest, which in turn brings to the forefront much larger concerns of universal social and political complexities. Through the use of these various mediums, Liberty finds a unique series of poetic tones that lend their voice to her expression. There is a longing for a deeper connection to nature, and a resurrection of the divine feminine. There is also the active investigation and questioning of the human condition, its deviant histories, and our own inherent existential search.
Today, her artwork can be found in the several private and public collections including: Universal Studios in Los Angeles, Lighthouse Properties in Philadelphia, and the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation in South Africa. She has shown at the Calais Museum of Fine Art and the Bernard Magrez Foundation in France, Mana Contemporary, and the Brooklyn Museum, in USA.
Over the last 25 years, Nathan has risen to become one of South Africa’s most prominent creative forces.
After studying Design at M. L. Sultan College, Nathan started out at FCB. Later he became head of design at TBWA Hunt Lascaris, before starting the first DDB in South Africa with Louis Gavin. A few years later, Nathan and Louis started their own agency, TBWA Gavin Reddy, which became one of South Africa’s most creative agencies.
In 2006, Nathan started his own agency, GRIDWORLDWIDE, where he is currently Chief Creative Officer.
GRID is South Africa’s most awarded studio, creating and rebranding some of the world’s iconic brands.
In 2016 the South African advertising industry honoured Nathan with a Lifetime Achievement Award, the youngest person to ever receive this award. In his acceptance speech he said he was just starting: “The world doesn’t need another brand; what it needs are brands that make it mean something.”
Mohale Mashigo, born Kgomotso Carol Mashigo (and also known by her stage name “Black Porcelain“), is a South African singer-songwriter, novelist, and former radio presenter.
An award-winning writer, her work includes The Yearning (which won the University of Johannesburg Debut Prize for South African Writing in English 2016) and a collection of speculative fiction short stories, Intruders. She won the inaugural Philida Literature Prize in 2020.
Mashigo also writes children’s books and comic books.
Some of her comic book work includes Kwezi and various projects with Marvel Comics.
In the early 2000s, having attempted various real jobs and some not so real ones, I finally admitted that the only jobs I’d had that brought me a semblance of happiness involved working with books. I promptly gave up all dreams of earthly riches and went to work full time in a bookshop. In 2007, I decided Cape Town needed another independent bookshop, and I needed more stress in my life. The result was the Book Lounge opening its doors on 1 December 2007.
A couple of years later, inspired by the popularity of our in-store events, I launched Open Book Festival, which ran successfully for nine years until the pandemic brought that to either a halt or a pause – time will tell.
GBAS Book Cover Design Awards 