Juandré van Eck, a 25-year-old Honours student from Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, has won the 2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition with his ceramic piece Cycles of the Mind.
Van Eck, a 2024 merit award recipient, secured the R100,000 top prize and the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2026. His work combines water and ceramic whistles to evoke the rhythm of breathing, balancing sounds of joy with tones of inner turmoil.
He said the piece offers comfort and hope, even in moments of darkness, while also creating a playful, calming space. Van Eck explained that he envisions his work in meditation settings, where it can help people connect with nature, practice mindfulness and find stillness.
In second place, Johannesburg artist Thabo Treasure Mofokeng received R25,000 for his painting Still Standing. Inspired by his neighbour, who was paralysed in a shooting yet continues to radiate courage, the work honours resilience and determination. Mofokeng, also a former merit award winner, described it as a celebration of the human spirit’s strength in the face of adversity.
The 2025 competition attracted 903 submissions across South Africa, with 106 works selected for final judging and exhibition. According to Chairperson Pfunzo Sidogi, the winning piece stood out because it invited audiences to engage beyond sight. “Van Eck’s sculpture encourages touch and sound, creating an eerie yet beautiful atmosphere that connects viewers to art in deeper, more sensory ways,” he said.
Sasol, which has sponsored the competition for 35 years, used the occasion to reaffirm its support for emerging artists while marking its own 75th anniversary. Christian Herrmann, Sasol’s Executive Vice President for Marketing and Sales, praised the event as both a platform for fresh voices and a reminder of the arts’ transformative role in society.
The Sasol New Signatures exhibition will run at the Pretoria Art Museum from 4 September to 2 November 2025, with all finalists’ works available both on site and online.
