With just two weeks remaining, aspiring South African visual artists are urged to seize this golden opportunity to showcase their talent and compete for one of the country’s most prestigious art accolades.
This competition, founded by the Association of Arts Pretoria in the 1960s, continues to be a beacon for boundless creativity and artistic exploration within the visual arts landscape of South Africa. Chairperson of Sasol New Signatures, Pfunzo Sidogi, said “Expressions Unbound embodies our competition’s long-standing dedication to fostering unrestricted artistic expression. Our aim is to empower artists to share their narratives, break free from limitations and embrace the depth of their creativity to explore new techniques. We hope that entrants will push themselves beyond their comfort zones in their pursuit of artistic excellence”.
Sasol New Signatures has become synonymous with supporting and developing South Africa’s contemporary art scene, as well as providing emerging South African artists with increased exposure. Open to all South African artists over 18 years old who have not yet held a solo exhibition, the competition welcomes entries in various artistic mediums, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, video, and installations. Artists who have held a solo exhibition for academic purposes, such as a master’s degree exhibition, are also eligible to enter.
To assist entrants in submitting their artworks, chairperson Sidogi and Sasol’s Art Curator, Cate Terblanche, have hosted informative online tutorials. These tutorials have covered essential topics such as entry requirements, preparing artwork for the competition (including pricing, framing, signatures, and weight restrictions), and guidance on writing CVs, biographies, and artist statements. Artists are encouraged to view these tutorials and download relevant factsheets to ensure their submissions meet the high standards expected: https://www.sasolsignatures.co.za/content/resources
“Judges at the regional judging round will be looking for artworks that exude a strong artistic concept or statement and superior quality of craftsmanship and technical execution ,” added Sidogi.
Artists wishing to submit their work can do so at designated collection points nationwide on Tuesday, 6 June, and Wednesday, 7 June, from 10:00 to 16:00. Along with the artworks, a completed entry form and supporting documentation must be included.
The winner of the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition will be announced on Wednesday, 6th September 2023. The winner will be awarded R100,000 and a solo exhibition at next year’s exhibition. The runner-up will receive R25,000, and five merit award winners will each receive R10,000.
Drop off points for artists’ work:
Bloemfontein: Oliewenhuis Art Museum, 16 Harry Smith Street,Tel: 051 447 9609
Cape Town: Art B Gallery, Library Centre, Carl van Aswegen Street, Bellville, Tel: 021 444 6500
Durban: KZNSA Gallery, 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Tel: 031 277 1705
Johannesburg: Sasol Place, 50 Katherine Street, Wierda Valley, Sandton, Tel: 010 344 5000 (Sasol Place Main Reception)
Polokwane: The Polokwane Art Museum, Library Gardens, corner Grobler & Hans van Rensburg Street, Tel: 015 290 2579/8
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): NMU Bird Street Gallery – Nelson Mandela University, Bird Street Campus, 20 Bird Street, Central, Tel: 041 504 3293
Pretoria: Pretoria Art Museum, corner Francis Baard and Wessels Streets, Arcadia Park, Tel: 012 358 6750
For more information on competition visit www.sasolsignatures.co.za or contact: Nandi Hilliard from the Association of Arts Pretoria on 012 346 3100, 083 288 5117 or [email protected].
