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
The present lot features one of Jackson Hlungwani’s highly personal, iconographic sculptures. His works serve as religious imagery, intended to become a permanent part of the ‘New Jerusalem’ he built around his home in Limpopo.
Carved Figures consists of two parts: a smaller, refined figure crafted from lighter wood and a larger ‘base’ figure that embraces the natural branching of the tree it was sourced from. The two elements interlock perfectly, symbolising both unity and liberation. This work is similar in style to Small Crucifix III (fig 1), employing similar techniques to convey comparable ideas.
Imbalia Art Books (n.d.) Jackson Hlungwani, online, https://imbaliartbooks.org.za/jackson-hlungwani/, accessed 30 January 2025.
CIRCA on Jellicoe (2016) Phillemon Hlungwani: From Giyani to Alexandra – The Journey Continues, exhibition catalogue, Johannesburg: CIRCA on Jellicoe.
Provenance
Old Johannesburg Warehouse, Paarl, 7 March 2022, lot 1631, with the title 'Untitled'.