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 Masimba Hwati’s Antennas, spear assemblages that the artist regards as transmitters and receivers of imaginary information – being comprised of collections of some of his favourite objects.
Working in assemblage, Hwati uses these objects to speak to his experiences of a changing Zimbabwe and how a political undercurrent is ever present within Africa's social and cultural exchange. The artist sparks conversation by employing the contrasting imagery of an upright traditional spear and the Western element of the cartoon toy placed atop the structure. The combination of multicultural elements paints a compelling picture of the contemporary ‘African Identity’, which the artist believes to be ever changing and engaged within a continual exchange.1
“With assembled found objects, Masimba Hwati creates sculptures to which a new life is insufflated with the breath of invited sonic makers. He examines post-colonial subjects, and contributes to broader reflections around artistic practice as a vehicle of change and a tool for rewriting history.”2
1Robert Preece (2022) Sculpture: A Publication of the International Sculpture Centre, Fragile and Beautiful Complexity: A Conversation with Masimba Hwati, online, https://sculpturemagazine.art/fragile-and-beautiful-complexity-a-conversation-with-masimba-hwati/, accessed 26 January 2025.
2 Haus der Kulturen der Walt (n.d.) Masimba Hwati, online, https://www.hkw.de/en/programme/o-quilombismo/masimba-hwati, accessed 18 January 2025.