2016 Sasol New Signatures Winner Zyma Amien exhibits Real Lives and Ordinary Objects at Pretoria Art Museum
Posted on August 17, 2017.
This year marks the 28th year of Sasol's sponsorship of Sasol New Signatures art
competition, which is South Africa's longest standing art competition and has
established itself as a prominent career launch pad for emerging artists.
Previous winners of this competition are testament to the positive impact winning it
has had on their artistic careers. Among them is Zyma Amien, Sasol New Signatures
2016 winner, who will be holding a solo exhibition titled "Real" lives and "ordinary"
objects, at the Pretoria Art Museum from 31 August to 8 October 2017. This will be
alongside this year's finalists of the competition.
Amien's solo exhibition examines experiences of garment workers in post-apartheid
South Africa and asks questions about the impact of the global village and why
workers remain predominantly female.
"My interest in this project is rooted in my direct relationship with the many women
who work as seamstresses in the South African garment and textile industry. The
demographics of the clothing and textile industry have been shaped by the
segregationist policies of apartheid, the legacies of which are still imprinted on the
lives of the women who continue to work in the factories," she said.
Art enthusiasts can look forward to this challenging exhibit, which will visually highlight
the plight of garment industry workers by using metaphors created out of sewing
machines, needles, thread and overalls. This exhibition features 48 works, 10 of which
are wall works.
The winner of Sasol New Signatures competition will be announced at a ceremony on
30th August 2017, after which the finalists' works will be displayed at the Pretoria Art
Museum until 8 October 2017. The overall winner receives R100 000 prize money and a solo exhibition at next year's event with the runner-up winning R25 000 and each of the five merit award winners take home R10 000.
