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
signed, dated 2021 and inscribed with the title on the stretcher
Exhibited
Nel Gallery, Cape Town, Mandisa, 1 April to 30 April 2021.
Notes
The present lot embodies the concept of Mandisa, an isiXhosa term meaning 'sweet' or 'to make things nice'. This playful work was inspired by the artist’s cousin, Mandisa, who was born shortly after her grandfather's death and was seen as a source of joy for the family, lifting their spirits during a period of intense mourning. This neon pink tapestry, reconstructed from fabric scraps, results from the artist’s attempt to take the "mess" of life and transform it into something beautiful.1 The vibrant pink and orange hues combine in a playful yet poignant composition that carries the weight of experience and memory.
Turiya Magadlela frequently emphasises that her work is not created as a political statement, but rather as a reflection of personal experience. However, her striking textural creations undeniably engage with the broader political landscape of South Africa. Through the use of materials such as pantyhose and linens, each stretched delicately across a canvas frame, she crafts asymmetrical compositions that are both tonally and texturally complex, jointly addressing personal anecdotes as well race, femininity, and disruption.
1Luan Nel (2021) Linkedin, Mandisa, online, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mandisa-luan-nel/, accessed 26 January 2025.