Perspectives on Africa
Live Virtual Auction, 17 February 2025
Perspectives on Africa
About the SessionStrauss & Co is pleased to present Perspectives on Africa, a sale that explores the complexity, beauty, and fluidity of perspectives through African art and works by artists with strong ties to the continent. The sale coalesces the rich and varied connections between Africa and its artistic expressions, presenting works that span figuration, landscape, and abstraction, inviting collectors to engage with powerful narratives emerging from Africa's evolving perspectives. The works reflect layered meanings, both as a method of representing depth and dimension as a way of framing our understanding of the world. Work by Contemporary artists reflects on the historical foundations of Modernist artists, exploring themes such as identity, belonging, urbanisation, and re-encounters with tradition, while the sale transitions to Modernist interpretations of Africa, exploring the complexity of colonial encounters, post-independence aspirations, and indigenous practices. Building on Strauss & Co’s commitment to developing a strong local photography market, the sale includes an artist focus on the work of social documentarian Paul Alberts, whose images captured poignant narratives of everyday life, particularly in Cape Town. These works sit alongside David Goldblatt and Zanele Muholi, whose visceral images explore themes of identity, social justice and the multifaceted realities of African life.
About this Item
Notes
Troy Makaza’s works are created by infusing silicone with inks and paints, which are then woven, tied and suspended to form vibrant and tactile artworks. The use of silicone in Makaza’s practice stems from his time studying at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe where he was drawn to materials that were beyond the traditional boundaries of painting and sculpture. Under the mentorship of Moffat Takadiwa, Makaza became interested in the use of unconventional materials in art and due to financial constraints, he began exploring the use of silicone as an alternative to oil paint.1
The present lot (Lot 118) showcases vibrant silicone strands intertwined at the top, gradually cascading downward. Abstract Composition (Lot 112), on the other hand, presents a compact silicone arrangement, with a smaller section extending slightly beyond the right edge. This work
showcases a blend of pale pinks, greens, blues, and yellow tones, arranged in a patchwork pattern that frames the central composition of
vertically applied silicone.
Makaza’s work reflects on his experiences of living in contemporary Zimbabwe – his preferred medium reflects his upbringing, oppression and hardships, but also resilience. Makaza is a part of a group of Zimbabwean artists offering nuanced perspectives on the nation, as he featured in Five Bohobh – Painting at the End of an Era, at Zeitz MOCAA. His Camo series ‘consist’s of smaller versions of a work, each one, as if dependant on the sticky nature of it’s medium, slowly edging further up the wall – jeopardised by years of stifling political oppression and economic hardships, it shows a nation of people adapting and fusing to one another in a desperate attempt to grow.’2
1. Ana Novi (2024) Whitewall, Troy Makaza represents Zimbabwe with Tactile Works that Transcend Categorization, online, https://whitewall.art/art/troy-makaza-represents-zimbabwe-with-tactileworks-that-transcend-categorization/, accessed 25 January 2025.
2. Pamela Bentley (2019) Art Africa, Heedful hands in Zimbabwe a resourceful resistance, online, https://artafricamagazine.org/heedful-handsin-zimbabwe-zeitz-mocaa-painting-five-bobhpainting-end-era/, accessed 25 January 2025.
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