Contemporary Art

Live Virtual Auction, 15 February 2020

Contemporary Art
  • Norman Catherine; Head Hunter
  • Norman Catherine; Head Hunter
  • Norman Catherine; Head Hunter


Lot Estimate
ZAR 200 000 - 300 000

About this Item

South African 1949-
Head Hunter

signed and dated 1993; impressed with the title on a clear label on the reverse; in the artist's frame

mixed media on board
116 by 97 by 7cm including frame

Notes

Rich in the primary colours, the two-dimensional surface moves in playfulness with a collage of faces, body parts and DNA particles juxtaposed agitatedly within the profile of the Head Hunter. This work directly relates to the multiple identity crisis happening in South Africa in the mid 1990s, “For artists this era presents an ongoing dilemma. Under apartheid, cultural identity was constricted and controlled. Now freedom to choose and re-invent identities represents South Africa’s greatest challenges”.1 This conflict gyrates through the head, as the eye watches time go by, causing tension. This serves true to Catherine’s oeuvre of satirical, comic and idealist dark humor.

 

1. Hazel Friedman (2000) ‘Anima Animus Animate’ In Norman Catherine. Goodman Gallery Editions, Johannesburg. Page 97.

 

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