SNS24 Catalogue Digital Spreads - Book - Page 10
MESSAGE
National Chairperson
Sasol New Signatures
PFUNZO
SIDOGI
8
"This year’s exhibition
is dominated by
works that not only
question but restore
the human."
In the five years I have served as the competition’s chair,
this year’s final judging round was probably the toughest
we facilitated thus far. Cate Terblanche (Curator of the
Sasol Art Collection) and I were joined by an esteemed
panel comprised of internationally renowned artists Diane
Victor and Nandipha Mntambo, and Dirk Oegema, the
Functional Head of the City of Tshwane Museum Services.
The five of us brought our own set of unique experiences,
knowledge, skills, and convictions about what we believe
constitutes ‘great’ art—I have placed the word ‘great’ in
inverted commas to acknowledge the complicated and
challenging definitions that exist regarding the notion of
‘great’ art. But the judging process was not tough because
of the differences in opinion and worldview about ‘great’
art that the judges harboured—in fact, I always encourage
the judges, at both the regional and final rounds, to lean
into and acknowledge their individual ‘professional’ bias
and idiosyncratic persuasions on art. Rather, what made
SASOL NEW SIGNATURES • 2024 CATALOGUE
the final judging round so hard was the exceptional range
and quality of the artworks we had to review.
I reference this judging process because after the winner
was chosen through a rather sophisticated process that
allows each judge to literally have their vote on who wins,
all the judges agreed that all the artworks in the top seven
were deserving of their accolades. Amongst others, words
like “subtly compelling”, “poignant”, “technically virtuoso”,
“majestic work”, “wonderful technique”, and “carefully
modelled” were used by the judges to describe the nature
of the artworks that in the winner’s circle. This anecdote of
how five judges coming from totally distinct positionalities
and experiences can find consensus in determining the
characteristics of the winning artworks shows how ‘great’
art can transcend cultural, racial, linguistic, and personal
differences. This is the magic of the Sasol New Signatures
Art Competition. It is a platform where emerging artists
from across the country can contribute their unique
creative visions of the world that ultimately bring people
together.
Let me conclude by thanking every artist who entered this
year’s edition of the competition. Over 1,000 entries were
registered for only the second time in the competition's
deep history. 138 of the artworks were selected for the
final judging round, the most ever. I do not have the
page space to discuss the various narratives, concepts,
and materials-based semiotics that are prevalent in the
artworks that form part of this year’s exhibition.
But once again, it is evident that artists are using their
creativity to respond to, reflect on, and make artistic
sense of the complexities of our world today. Many of
the difficult personal and social stories represented in
the artworks have been treated with a sensitivity that
can be read as an aesthetic of Ubuntu. That is, this year’s
exhibition is dominated by works that not only question
the family, social, political, and economic order, but
restores the human.
