2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition Winner Announced

Honours student from Gqeberha wins the 2025 Sasol New Signatures with interactive ceramic work. 

COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

The Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition has been instrumental in launching the careers of many South African visual artists over the years. This year saw a total of 903 entries submitted at eight collection points across South Africa, with 106 works selected to advance to the final round of judging and to appear in the 2025 exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum, which runs until 2 November 2025.

Last week, Juandré van Eck, an Honours student from the Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha and a merit winner in 2024, was announced as the winner of the 2025 edition for his ceramic piece titled Cycles of the mind. 

“The ceramic artwork emulates the rhythmic patterns of breath. Two whistles positioned on opposite sides “speak”,  one a cry of liberation and joy, the other a low, gentle echo of contemplation and unseen turmoil. Water, the essence of life, gives life to this artwork, offering it a voice through its gentle flow from one state to the next. It provides comfort and the promise that even in the darkest moment, hope can rise, a whisper becoming a triumphant cry of defiance,” says Juandré.

Thabo Treasure Mofokeng from Johannesburg, a merit winner in 2023, was announced as the runner-up for his painting Still Standing. “This piece is a tribute to my neighbour’s inspiring spirit and a celebration of the human capacity for resilience, hope, and determination,” he explains.

Sasol has proudly sponsored the competition for the past 35 years, providing emerging South African artists with a platform to express their unique perspectives and push the boundaries of creative expression.

“In 2025, as Sasol celebrates 75 years of pioneering innovation, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to creativity, progress, and the power of new ideas through our sponsorship of the Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition. This milestone is not only a celebration of our legacy in science and technology but also a tribute to the transformative role of the arts in shaping society. In this special anniversary year, we celebrate not only the artists who dare to see the world differently, but also the shared spirit of innovation that unites us all,” says Christian Herrmann, Sasol Executive Vice President: Marketing and Sales, Energy and Chemicals, Southern Africa.

2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Winners

• Juandré van Eck takes home a cash prize of R100 000 and an opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2026. 
• Runner-up Thabo Treasure Mofokeng receives R25 000.

The five Merit Award winners receive R10 000 each, and they are:

• Tammy Lee Baikie – Johannesburg, Book worms, 2025 (Mixed media)
• Rebecca Louise (Beck) Glass – Pretoria, Sell – Fish (Etching)
• Snelihle Asanda Maphumulo – Gqeberha, Ngaphansi kwesithunzi sakhe (Sheep hide on canvas)
• Vian Mervyn Roos – Pretoria, 2916 (Cotton Thread)
• Sarah Volker – Gqeberha, Taut, tethered and torn (Ballet tights, stones and cement blocks)

“More and more emerging artists are creating artworks that demand to be experienced beyond purely visual and cognitive dimensions. This is certainly the case with this year’s winning work. Van Eck’s ceramic sculpture invites viewers to touch, hold, and gently move the delicately manufactured object. This activates the piece’s acoustic qualities, creating a beautifully eerie mood and allowing the audience to connect with the object beyond the boundaries of visual perception. This approach echoes last year’s winner, Miné Kleynhans, whose first solo exhibition, Augury After Autogogues, explores the body and emotions, compelling audiences to feel the artwork both literally and spiritually,” says Pfunzo Sidogi, Chairperson of the Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition.

The Sasol New Signatures exhibition, featuring the work of the 2025 winners and finalists, is currently on at the Pretoria Art Museum until 2 November 2025. | sasolsignatures.co.za

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