In a brilliant group showcase, the overall winner, runner-up, five merit award winners, and over 100 nationwide entries from the Sasol New Signatures 2024 art competition can be seen at the Pretoria Art Museum from Thu, Sep 5 – Sun, Nov 3, 2024.

On Wed, Sep 4, 2024, the winners of the Sasol New Signatures competition for 2024 were announced. A brilliant exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum, titled Articulate, is a chance to see 137 works submitted around South Africa, whittled down from more than 1,000 total entries. It's astonishing to see the breadth and diversity of the works in the winning exhibition, brought forth in practically every medium conceivable from paint and ink on plastic water carriers to sculpted sand.

From Bloemfontein, Miné Kleynhans was crowned this year's overall winner for her curious interactive installation piece, Meditations on Resentment. Kleynhans' unusual winning work creates space for an intimate ritual sanctioning the experience and expression of resentment – an emotion often held with secrecy. Approaching the artwork, it's initially unclear what is expected of the viewer. Made of solid wood, copper, and brass, the piece looks utterly strange at first glance, like a many-legged creature, though it's not without mysterious beauty. 

Gqeberha's Tandabantu Nathaniel Jongikhaya Matola took home the title of runner-up for his work Ukuncikelela (to hold on/endure). For a beautifully conceived installation, Matola collected worn dishcloths from his village in exchange for new ones. Clay tiles with underglaze drawings of the homes the artist visited are in the centre of each dishcloth, which are woven together in a kind of tapestry. PVA glue holds the cloths in shape, while reinforcing the ukungcola (dirtiness) from overuse. The resourceful and compassionate work symbolises ukuncikelela, which means ‘to hold on’ in isiXhosa.

The five merit award winners also form part of this exhibition, namely Henrico Paul Greyling, Themba Mkhangeli, Bonginkosi Liyo Mkhatshwa, Snelihle Asanda Maphumulo, and Juandré van Eck. 

Alongside, 2023 winner Nosiviwe Matikinca holds her first solo exhibition, Ukungalingani Kwezemfundo (Educational Inequality), using fragile clay slip castings to illuminate the challenges faced by learners in public schools.

Both the group showcase Articulate and Matikinca's solo are showing at the Pretoria Art Museum until Sun, Nov 3, 2024.