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
Provenance
Acquired from the artist by the current owner.
Notes
“This artwork was conceived before I began incorporating Shweshwe fabric into my practice in 2020. At that time, I had a woodblock carved with horizontal and vertical lines that formed blocks of colour and negative white spaces. I would print this block onto canvas, and then punch the printed canvas, searching for a pattern on the surface of the material. My aim was to infuse my work with more meaning through this process. This experiment would later become one of many material investigations that eventually led me to use Shweshwe fabric.
If you look closely, you'll notice the contrast between the black-painted sections and the few colourful lines near the bottom, where threads hang from the canvas. The coloured lines at the bottom are woodblock prints on canvas, which were later punched to add texture to the piece.
The scale of the artwork was intentionally smaller, designed to create a more intimate experience for the viewer.”—Bonolo Kavula, 2025.
Exhibited
SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, Sewedi Sewedi, 6 March to 1 May 2021.