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
each signed and dated 21
Exhibited
Everard Read, Franschhoek, Isiphambuka Sendlela (The Crossroads), 20 November to 13 December 2021.
Notes
The present lot is a strikingly visual example of Dyaloyi’s interest in communities, townships and the people he interacts with. This scene, filled with bustling figures that dominate the canvas, is built up using an energetic application of oil paint and turpentine. Occasionally, Dyaloyi employ’s the use of dust or sand1 which is observed in the present lot. There appears to be incomplete and sketch-like layers with vibrant strokes of colour juxtaposed against a dark receding background, which makes the cause of this frenetic energy unknown. But what makes this painting interesting, is the palpable energy which is transmitted through Dyaloyi’s application of paint. It feels as if we are caught up in a rhythm of movement – which is neither menacing, nor quiet. We are engaged in the activity of the figures, creating a sense of profound empathy within the viewer.
1Latitudes Online (n.d) Ricky Ayanda Dyaloyi, online, https://latitudes.online/artists/ricky_ayanda_dyaloyi?srsltid=AfmBOooW_NH5e9c-C6SXrLM8ZgicIhY0FFMAgTzVeSzIVfs92niI0oBf, accessed 27 January 2025.