Patrick Rulore (24), Fine and Applied Arts student, is the winner of the 2019 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition.
Rulore has won the coveted award for his oil on canvas work, titled Stage 4 moments. In his artist statement he said: “In the beginning of this year, South Africa had to endure extreme shortages in electricity supply with electricity scheduled in stages. This painting portrays Stage 4, signifying that the electricity of a large sector of the community has been cut off.”
In his painting, Rulore has captured the typical behaviour of his family during load shedding and the artwork celebrates the fact that all electrical devices are set aside during these blackouts, allowing the family to interact with each other, face to face, to talk, laugh and play games.
“This painting does not complain about load shedding, it rather celebrates dark moments given into by these circumstances. As soon as the electricity comes back, we resume our earlier activities in isolation,” he added.
Rulore’s primary medium is paint and he uses both oils and acrylics. “I am fascinated by the complexity of the human body (male and female) and attempt to discover its magic on the canvas. I always endeavour to capture the emotions and spirit of each individual I paint. To achieve this, I manipulate and play with colours, textures, paint and brush marks”.
As the winner, Rulore walks away with a cash prize of R100 000 and the opportunity to have a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2020.
In congratulating Rulore, Prof Runette Kruger, Head of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, said: “It was a very proud moment for me when Patrick received his prize. This is a wonderful milestone for him, opening many doors for his future career. He is extremely talented. When asked what advice he has for other artists as the winner, he said you need to be persistent. I must agree, that persistence plus talent is unstoppable!”
Alumna Kgodisho Moloto received a merit award for her work about gender-based violence. Also among the Top 100 were Viola Greying (a current student), Thabo Pitso (alumnus), Nicholas Prinsloo (alumnus) and Boikanyo Mashigo (a current student).
The Sasol New Signatures Exhibition runs from 22 August to 29 September at the Pretoria Art Museum.