A Johannesburg-based visual artist has won the 2026 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition, while two Pretoria artists received merit awards.

Their work can be seen at the exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum and also feature 123 works by finalists, including numerous artists from Pretoria.

Sphumelele Zondi (26) has won the competition for her mixed-media work, The laundry of a nation.

Pretoria artists Charlie de Bruto and Inga Lokwe were among the five merit award recipients, while Sive Ntombana of Makhanda was named runner-up.

Zondi received a cash prize of R100 000 and the opportunity to present a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2027.

Her winning work examines the emotional and social inheritance carried by young people in contemporary South Africa through clothing, labour, domesticity and repetition.

“This was my first time entering the competition. What prompted me to enter Sasol New Signatures was the incredible opportunities and exposure it provides to young emerging artists,” she said.

“I first became aware of the competition during my university years, and this year I felt ready to take that step and put my work forward. The competition holds such great significance in the South African art space and an important platform where my work could be seen and engaged with.”

The runner-up, Ntombana (23) is a painter and mural artist based in Makhanda who is completing a Master of Fine Arts at Rhodes University. His work, Umlandeli, forms part of a practice-based research project examining trauma in the rural Xhosa context of the Eastern Cape.

De Bruto received a merit award for his work named Ball Buster, a mixed-media sculpture measuring 51cm in height. The work transforms a wooden cracked nutcracker soldier into a police officer carrying a miniature Woolworths bag.

To her the sculpture presents the official as an individual who “can no longer march or protect. He can only consume, crack and bust”.

Lokwe was recognised for her work called Qula Kwedini, an installation made from glass, metal and wood. Measuring 96cm in height, the work represents a traditional Xhosa musical instrument, the uhadi, historically associated with married women and virgins.

“My work creates space for dialogue and new possibilities. This work encourages to recognise the deep ties between performance, survival and becoming,” Lokwe said.

The other merit award recipients were Wisani Manyisi for Dance of memory, Thomas Masingi for The desire to become one series and Charné Mungur for Echoes of silence.

The competition attracted 938 works submitted through eight collection points across South Africa. Of these, 123 works were selected for the final judging round and inclusion in the 2026 exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum.

Pieter van Heerden, chairperson of the Association of Arts in Pretoria, said he was impressed by the entries. “The vitality and energy of the entries impacted me,” he said.

Sasol Corporate department representative Nozipho Mbata described the occasion as an opportunity to celebrate artists. “We are celebrating people who are able to see something we cannot see. They dream, imagine and allow the world to see it,” she said.

Several Pretoria artists were among the finalists. Hester Badenhorst presented Fern Fiddleheads as her entry, Maria Coetzee entered She claps no hands, and Zainab Choonara was selected for her work called Take seven seeds every morning. Leandrie Vos entered Small Joys, while Suné Deetlefs presented A spec of retro.

Other Pretoria finalists included Thabang Moatshe, Thato Mothobi, Ukhona Mthethwa, Siphokuhle Vukubi, Kaitlyn Pay, Mobai Pepenene, Simon Radebe, Benjamin Rautenbach, Santan Rowney, Trevor Seema, Sethu Sikhosana, Janu Snyman, McKayle Steyn, Kethy Thbana, Akeel Tsoe, Welri Viljoen and Tshiamo Williams.

Polokwane artist Richard Lethumo was also among the finalists. His artwork was completed with pens and pays tribute to the role his grandmother, Mankhasa Raisibe Lekalakala, played in his life.

Johannesburg photographer Angie Lazaro was another notable finalist with Naomi C, a white sculpture examining expectations placed on women to pose for fashion magazines.

The exhibition also features the solo exhibition of 2025 winner Juandré van Eck, titled Die Vallei van Adem. The presentation follows his winning work, Cycles of the Mind, and consists of ceramic sound vessels designed for direct interaction.

Van Eck said that in an age of artificial intelligence, art remains something that people can touch and feel. He also thanked his mother, Elsie, for her support.

– The 2026 Sasol New Signatures exhibition opened at the Pretoria Art Museum on September 10 and runs until November 8.

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