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Author: lefa

Ntombizesizwe Nomfundo Biyela (Gqeberha)

His therapy, 2025 Photographic print on 250gsm paper, Edition 1 of 1 42,5 cm x 52 cm Artist’s Statement This photograph was taken on the 25th of June 2025 at home in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal. It documents my 13-years-old nephew finding peace from spending time with his puppies during a time of family grief. It explores […]

Gontse Bashele (Polokwane)

Birthday blues, 2026 Mixed media  47,5 cm x 47,5 cm  Artist’s Statement Birthday blues explores the quiet sadness that can accompany a birthday, a day traditionally associated with celebration, gratitude, and joy. The work reflects the internal dialogue between one’s present self and the child they once were: the child who imagined where life would be […]

Beth Bailie & Holly Adams – Collaboration (Johannesburg)

Between the barriers, 2026 Video, Edition of 6 227 seconds Artist’s Statement Between the Barriers is a video art piece that follows themes of intimacy and the body. The piece shows various close-ups of intimate skin-to-skin contact between partners. The contact is soft, tender and personal. The bodies are shown close-up to emphasise the contact […]

Tammy Baikie (Johannesburg)

Dinoflagellate II, in the Garden, 2026 Mixed media 58,5 cm x 38 cm Artist’s Statement The work questions the Edenic concept of gardens, teasing out their straddling of artifice and nature, control and abandonment. Through Victorianalia, including convex glass, commercial shop window gilding and botanical illustration, it alludes to the imperial legacy of gardens in […]

Hester Badenhorst (Pretoria)

Fern fiddleheads, 2026 Collage, trame verbale, oil paint 61 cm x 46 cm Artist’s Statement Fern Fiddlehead explores how the values and ideals of previous generations continue to shape our lives today. Fern fiddleheads, with their distinctive curled forms, recall the head of a violin—a component associated with balance and tuning—and become symbols of the […]

The Art of Moving Art – The Specialist Art Logistics Behind Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition

For visitors to the Sasol New Signatures exhibition, the spotlight naturally falls on the incredible artworks showcased throughout the Pretoria Art Museum, few realise the enormous logistical operation that takes place behind the scenes long before the doors of exhibition open. As the competition’s long-standing official logistics partner, Stuttaford Van Lines is responsible for collecting, […]

From Identity to Innovation: The Story of Sasol New Signatures Through Its Winning Works

For decades, the Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition has served as one of South Africa’s most important platforms for emerging artistic talent. Over the past fifteen years in particular, the competition’s winning works have offered a fascinating lens into the evolving concerns, identities and creative directions shaping contemporary South African art. From deeply personal reflections on […]

10 Reasons Emerging Artists Should Enter the 2026 Sasol New Signatures Competition

For more than six decades, the Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition has played a defining role in discovering and elevating South Africa’s emerging visual artists. As the country’s longest-running and one of its most prestigious platforms for new artistic talent, the competition continues to open doors for artists looking to build sustainable creative careers.  With just […]

Sasol New Signatures Equips Emerging Artists Through Online Information Sessions Ahead of 2026 Competition Submissions

The prestigious Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition is once again opening its virtual doors to aspiring artists through a series of online Information Sessions designed to guide and inspire entrants ahead of the 2026 competition. As one of South Africa’s longest-running and most respected platforms for emerging visual artists, the annual competition is open to all […]