Emerging artist and winner of the 2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition, Juandré van Eck returns to the Pretoria Art Museum with his first major solo exhibition, Die Vallei van Adem, on 10 September 2026.
WORDS Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Supplied
Sasol New Signatures continues to be South Africa’s longest-running platform for emerging visual artists to showcase their talents and gain recognition and exposure within the art world. This September, 2025 Sasol New Signatures winner Juandré van Eck is exhibiting a new body of work built on the ideas explored in his winning work, Cycles of the Mind – sculptures that invite visitors to interact with them directly, to give the work its breath and, in doing so, discover its voice within the valley.
“Winning Sasol New Signatures has given me the opportunity to push my practice further and realise my ideas on a much larger scale,” says Juandré. “Die Vallei van Adem asks people not simply to look at the work, but to activate it. Every interaction gives the sculptures breath and voice, making each visitor part of the artwork itself.”
Die Vallei van Adem is a fascinating collection of ceramic sound vessels that challenge the traditional relationship between artwork and audience. Each vessel is constructed from two connected chambers, where the smaller works produce higher tones and the larger forms produce deeper sounds, creating something that feels closer to a choir than a collection of individual objects.
“Juandré’s work demonstrates a remarkable understanding of material, concept and audience engagement. He transforms ceramics into something that is not only visually compelling but also deeply experiential, inviting participation in ways that expand our understanding of contemporary sculpture. It is exciting to see how his practice has evolved since winning a Merit award in 2024 and then being crowned the winner last year,” says Cate Terblanche, Sasol Art Curator and Sasol New Signatures judge.
Alongside van Eck’s solo exhibition, this year’s broader Sasol New Signatures show features 123 selected artworks, including works by the Runner-up and Merit Award recipients.
Die Vallei van Adem and the 2026 Sasol New Signatures exhibition will open to the public on 10 September 2026 and run until 8 November 2026. | sasolsignatures.co.za
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