Johannesburg, South Africa - Entries are now officially open for the annual Sasol New Signatures Art Competition 2022. Being the longest-running competition of its kind in South Africa, Sasol New Signatures plays a pivotal role in unearthing new South African talent and providing a platform from which emerging artists can launch their artistic careers.

Chairperson, Sasol New Signatures, Pfunzo Sidogi said: “As the leading art competition for emerging artists in South Africa, Sasol New Signatures has embraced the challenge of being more than another art event. In the same way that truly great art transcends creativity and imagination, the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition is an opportunity for artists, audiences, and society at large to rethink and reimagine their world. But it all begins with an artwork. We therefore invite all eligible artists to submit entries for the 2022 edition of the competition. We invite you to showcase your boundless creativity.”

This annual competition is open to all South African artists over 18 years who have not yet held a solo exhibition. Artists who have held a solo exhibition for academic purposes (a Master’s degree exhibition) are allowed to enter. Artists can submit up to 2 artworks in all artistic mediums, including photography, performance art, video and installations.

‘‘Art Beyond Imagination’ is a celebration of the borderless human consciousness, the boundless skill and infinite vision of the artist, and the limitless inspirational power of art. This moniker embodies the values and essence of both Sasol and the 2022 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition. Sasol is more than a business and the Sasol New Signatures is more than a competition,” added Sidogi.

“Sasol is proud to be a key sponsor, together with Association of Arts Pretoria, of this important competition that seeks to encourage South Africa’s creativity and contribute to our national heritage.  ‘Art Beyond Imagination’ stimulates creative thinking and innovation, but also challenges both the artist and the audience to think beyond boundaries into a new and limitless world,” said Nozipho Mbatha, Senior Manager: Group Brand and Sponsorships at Sasol.

Sasol New Signatures is not only about art but also education. Entrants are encouraged to view the detailed information video hosted by Chairperson Sidogi.  “We have created the video to give entrants much needed technical information regarding format, size, media and layout of entered works as well as valuable advice regarding the presentation of competition standard work,” he said.

Go beyond your imagination by entering the 2022 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition at one of several collection points across the country on Tuesday, 7 June and Wednesday, 8 June from 10:00 and 16:00.

The winner of the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition will be announced on Wednesday, 24 August 2022. The winner will receive R100 000 and a solo exhibition at next year’s exhibition. The winning works will also be displayed at the Pretoria Art Museum from Thursday, 25 August to 2 October 2022.  The runner up will receive R25 000 and the five merit award winners will each walk away with R10 000.   

The 2021 Sasol New Signatures winner and multidisciplinary artist, Andrea du Plessis will hold her first solo exhibition within the official Sasol New Signatures 2022 exhibition.  The exhibition is titled Supernature: Simulacra.  “This exhibition is a deepening of my research into the sublime experience, and our complex relationship with nature in an age marked by technological augmentation and simulation,” said Du Plessis.  As an extension of the Supernature series Du Plessis began in 2020, her work will feature an exploration of emerging technologies in combination with traditional oil painting to create interactive, immersive realms as well as an encyclopaedia of hybrid lifeforms. Supernature: Simulacra aims to offer the viewer an opportunity to consider our interconnectivity with the natural world, and examines the possibility of reconnecting to nature via technology.