Q&A with Merit Winner: Megan Serfontein

Download the 2018 catalogue to see Megan's work.

Where does your passion for art come from?
I’ve always enjoyed the technical aspects of art, like printmaking and drawing, 
but my passion for art comes from my interest in people’s interaction with the world around them, and how this can change. I find works that engage people to be special. 

Briefly describe your artistic journey up until the point of entering Sasol New Signatures.
My biggest challenge was finding my voice! It took me three of my four years of study to get to the point of tackling and embracing digital art.

What motivated you to enter the Sasol New Signatures art competition?
My peers played an important role. Without their encouragement and motivation, I don’t think I would have entered.

What excites you about the creative process?
The prospect of growth. You can start in one place and finish somewhere completely different, but it all comes together and makes sense in the end.

Tell us about your preferred medium.
Before this year I was deep into printmaking, and I will always have a love for that but
I have always been very technologically inclined. My hobbies have invariably included fooling around with digital processes, and it was about time I actually used that interest in my art.

Summarise your work in three independent words.
Seeing. Surveillance. Interaction.

Did this competition teach you anything about yourself?
It taught me to have confidence in myself, my abilities, and my way of working and seeing the world through art.

Which local artists do you admire?
Candice Breitz and Mikhael Subotzky. They both have very interesting ways of interacting with digital media that I identify with. Particularly Mikhael Subotzky Pixel Interface.
 
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on my fourth year body of work that surrounds the piece entered in the competition.

What impact would winning this competition have on you?
Simply put, it would be phenomenal! It would be all the more proof that I am doing what I should, and that I am on the right track. Additionally, the exposure would be beyond anything I could have imagined at the end of my studies.