High School - AGAC 2024 1st Place Winner - Jaz (Gareth) Jacob Zacks - Stormy Oranjezicht

Art has always been a vital outlet for me - since I was young, colour has been my safe space, and movement and expression characterised me.

I'm Jaz Zacks, a matric student from Cape Town studying abroad at an International High School (United World Colleges) in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

In Grade 10, I was at Westerford High School in Cape Town; I was awarded Academic Excellence and Top Student for both Visual Arts and isiXhosa SAL. Habitat for Humanity was a committee that I chaired for two years, where I coordinated numerous community outreach projects with a sustainable focus. I also danced and performed in the successful High School 'District Six' musical production and performed in CTCB 'The Nutcracker' at Artscape. 

At the start of Grade 11, I was given a full scholarship, The Nelson Mandela Scholarship, to continue my High School studies as a South African representative at UWC Mostar, and a whole new chapter began for me.

At UWC, I continue to work on community projects, organising various events like ‘Bald for a Cause’ which was for children's cancer awareness – where students go bald to donate their hair. Furthermore, I used my passion for art for positive change with a team of students by painting a special needs kindergarten’s playground walls, filled with colour, rainbows and flowers to bring a smile to their faces. 

Dutch Artist - Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted ‘The Starry Night’ view from his room. After sunset, I went onto the balcony with the large cypress tree swaying in front of me and the Oranjezicht landscape in the distance – I was inspired to reimagine this masterpiece. 

In my painting, I have created my own ‘Stormy Oranjezicht’ with hypnotic, swirling clouds of wind that often visit our shore, bringing the ‘Cape Doctor’, clearing our air. The view of Devil’s Peak and orange roofs cover the landscape with the Cypress trees in Oranjezicht (Dutch for “orange view”), representing the colonial impact on the Cape of Good Hope, which is still noticeable today in landmarks, monuments and nature. Unlike Van Gogh, my view is at the end of the day with its beautiful sunset colours and moody, swirling cloud formations. The colourful energy of the artwork is reminiscent of the phrase “Rainbow Nation”, to describe the diversity of South Africa – its people, nature and culture, and my love for my country.

Obviously this artwork does not represent South African culture as an entirety, but it shows my connection to South Africa and my hometown, Cape Town. This artwork also connects to the painful history of Apartheid, where white people such as my family were privileged and hence were able to live in this area. The stormy, oppressive clouds covering the landscape connect to this damaging history and the need to recognise my privilege.