Lucky Frans Pheeha Phooko (Polokwane)
Hidden in plain sight Mixed media 2 Part: (2) 142,5 cm x 107 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT Hidden in Plain Sight is a two-part mixed-media artwork that uses the familiar format of a word search puzzle and is paired with a Braille version to expose the normalisation of sexist language in everyday speech, particularly among youth. […]
Andre Rose (Durban)
Gaia’s Requiem Photography 120 cm x 162 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT Gaia’s Requiem is a meditation on the quiet erosion of our natural world. This analogue image, digitally transferred and printed, captures a faded landscape where desert meets sea, symbolising the slow, almost imperceptible disappearance of ecosystems under the weight of climate change. The image is […]
Luncedo Phillip (Johannesburg)
Ekunyamezeleni Ukhona Umvuzo Liquid tempera, oil pastel, acrylic and silkscreen on black denim 84 cm x 104 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT Ekunyamezeleni ukhona umvuzo — a proverb shared across isiXhosa and isiZulu — speaks to the enduring truth that perseverance bears reward. This work stands as both a tribute to my grandmother, Mrs. B. Moko, and […]
Fulufhelo Ralubuvhi (Polokwane)
Pathways Felt 7 Part: 140 cm x 180 cm Artist’s Statement Pathways is a collection of art made from felt that explores how people connect with each other. It’s inspired by the paths animals create as they move around, and how these paths can represent the relationships we build with others. The art pieces show […]
Emily Rice (Cape Town)
White noise of Endurance Distressed fabric and Plaster of Paris on frame 80 cm x 60 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT White noise of Endurance explores the delicate, yet powerful structure of vulnerability. Through distressed plaster on canvas, the artwork examines the tension between strength and fragility, where cracks and imperfections mark resilience rather than weakness. The […]
Vian Mervyn Roos (Pretoria) | 2025 Merit Award Winner
2916 Cotton Thread 65 cm x 60 cm x 9 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT The work engages with the tensions between mechanised perfection and the vulnerability of the handmade. Comprising 2916 individually crafted tassels made from cotton thread and arranged in a 54 by 54 grid, the work focuses on the experience of repetition, tactile labour, […]
Erika Rundle (Pretoria)
Nyctophobia Fabric, wire, batting Installation: 250 cm x 240 cm x 145 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of the dark, where evil waits in the shadows of the imagination, intensified by agnosia, the inability to recognise objects through sensorial encounters. This artwork emanates personal fears consequential to the imprint of childhood traumas. […]
Vanessa Schmucker (Pretoria)
Mended Paper and thread 85 cm x 46 cm x 12 cm ARTIST’S STATEMENT To mend is to repair — to gather what has been broken, torn, or left behind, and hold it again, gently, in a new form. It is an act of care, of presence, of belief that beauty can remain, even after […]
Thobekile Lauren Shange (Durban)
Mthwalo Wami Uyangisinda (My burden, you are heavy) Metal with woven plastic & organza 215 cm x 90 cm x 75 cm Artist’s Statement This sculptural work is a meditation on inherited family pressure, the quiet weight of provision, and the emotional cost of being relied upon. At its centre is a complex, skeletal noose […]
Sebotse Maggy Mahlako Selamulela (Bloemfontein)
Morongwa (The one who is sent) Perspex, candle wax, wicks, carpet imprint and beads 2-Part: 121 cm x 70 cm; 114 cm x 70 cm Artist’s Statement This installation challenges unilateral views of spirituality through a series of two floor carpets resembling prayer mats. Made from found objects such as red, blue, white, and yellow […]