Pretoria artist makes historic exhibition

The Sasol New Signatures Art Competition, held annually to give a platform to emerging talent in South Africa, drew a record 1 013 submissions countrywide this year, with the top seven artists revealed at a glamorous exhibition opening on Wednesday.

Pretoria-based artist Henrico Paul Greyling (23) has been awarded a Merit Prize at the 2024 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition for his steel sculpture, Through here a flower passed.

A total of 137 works were chosen for the final exhibition, and seven artists, including Greyling, were honoured for their outstanding work.

Greyling, whose emotional work reflects on both life and death, received R10 000 for his achievement.

His piece, made of rusted steel, is deeply personal.

“It’s based on an archway at my grandparents’ house,” he told Rekord in a quick interview after the announcement.

“This archway led to a room where I used to nap as a kid and the same room where my grandmother spent her last few years after a stroke. As a family, we would often take her flowers, and that’s where the name comes from.”

The work touches on the theme of transitions, both in life and in death.

“For me, being able to move through the archway is a reminder of being able to move through life itself,” Greyling explained.

“But it’s also through that archway that my grandmother took her last breath, so it’s a reflection of the duality between life and death.”

The use of rusted steel in the sculpture is a nod to his grandmother’s influence on his life.

“My grandmother used to patch up mine and my brothers’ clothes with different pieces of fabric, so the patches of rusted steel connect to that memory,” Greyling said.

He has entered the competition four times before but never achieved the top category, making this recognition especially meaningful.

“It’s a simple form, but it shows that something that looks simple isn’t always that simple. It’s great to have my work resonate with the judges and viewers. This is a big opportunity for me as a young artist.”

The competition’s top prize went to Miné Kleynhans (34), a project manager at the University of the Free State Art Gallery, for her installation piece Meditations on Resentment.

Kleynhans received R100 000 and the chance to hold a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2025.

Her interactive work invites viewers to explore the expression of resentment through a personal ritual involving sand, a brush and a brass thorn.

Second place was awarded to Tandabantu Nathaniel Jongikhaya Matola, a Fine Arts student at Walter Sisulu University, for his piece Ukuncikelela (to hold on/endure).

Matola received R25 000 for his work, which reflects the endurance of Black South African communities in rural areas, forced to hold onto domestic items for longer than they wish due to poverty.

The other Merit Award winners, who also received R10 000 each, were Snelihle Asanda Maphumulo from Gqeberha, Themba Mkhangeli from Cape Town, Bonginkosi Liyo Mkhatshwa from Johannesburg, and Juandré van Eck from Gqeberha.

Elton Fortuin, Sasol’s vice president of group communications and brand management, praised this year’s entries. “The exhibition presents a wide spectrum of narratives that provoke many thoughts and reactions, all originating from a shared creative spirit that reflects our identity as a nation and as individuals.”

The final exhibition of South Africa’s top emerging artists is currently on display at the Pretoria Art Museum until November 3.

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