Notes

This lot appeared on Jody Paulsen’s debut solo exhibition, Pushing Thirty, a vivid showcase of his maximalist approach to composition that included 21 of his signature felt collages. A method perfected at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, Paulsen’s brash ensemble pieces intermix references from pop culture, fashion and cartoons, and often include additional text slogans demonstrating his media literacy and/or discussing his mixed-race queer identity. Paulsen credits artists Cameron Platter and Julia Rosa Clark for inspiring him to pursue an installation-based approach to displaying his work. Paulsen’s collages invite comparisons with Jeremy Deller’s processional banners and Tracey Emin’s quilts, although, attitudinally at least, his work is closer to Andy Warhol in its love affair with consumer culture. This lot references the logo of Italian luxury fashion company Versace, a stylised depiction of the head of Medusa. The exaggerated tears recall Brett Murray’s wall-hung sculptures of baroque figures weeping from his exhibition Crocodile Tears (2007). Paulsen’s interest in fashion is pronounced: he collaborates with designer Adriaan Kuiters on a fashion range, which has been lauded by Vogue Italia, among others.

Exhibited

SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, Pushing Thirty, 11 February to 25 March 2017