Bloemfontein sculptor wins art competition, announces solo exhibition

PRETORIA – A talented Bloemfontein-based sculptor, Miné Kleynhans (34), has added another signature to South Africa’s prestigious Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts competition.

Sasol and the Association of Arts Pretoria announce her solo exhibition, titled Augury After Autogogues, as the winner of 2024 on Wednesday, 6 August. This will be presented at the Pretoria Art Museum from 4 September to 2 November this year.

Kleynhans works as the project coordinator at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Art Gallery. She holds a Master of Fine Art (MFA) degree from the same institute. Her solo exhibition is a speculative and satirical exploration of contemporary mysticism and self-truths in an age of information overload.

Through a series of imaginative installation pieces and invented devices, the exhibition introduces the concept of the “Autogogue” – a self-styled oracle who seeks meaning through intuition, emotion, and personal interpretation.

Kleynhans revealed the same competition in which she won R100 000 in cash last year, inspired her latest work.

 “The idea for the exhibition came to me on a flight home from the Sasol New Signatures award ceremony. It felt fully formed, like it had been waiting for the right opportunity to emerge,” said Kleynhans.

Each of the works that will be featured in the exhibition, reflects Kleynhans’ fascination with how individuals respond to the speed, scale, and complexity of modern life. Her devices mimic outdated tools and mystical instruments, blurring the line between satire and sincerity in a commentary on our emotional and spiritual capacities, requiring the viewer to define their own understanding of Kleynhans’ curious cosmology.

The exhibition will coincide with the 2025 Sasol New Signatures exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum. It will include the final 105 artworks selected from the eight regional submissions centres across South Africa. The winners of this year’s edition of the competition will be announced on 3 September.

Audiences can expect interactive sculptural works, many of which have been created by new processes and mediums for the artist, such as welding, steelwork, and 3D printing.