Curatorial Voices: African Landscapes, Past and Present

Live Virtual Auction, 19 February 2024

Curatorial Voices: African Landscapes, Past and Present
About the Session

From Thomas Baines to Jake Aikman, Curatorial Voices: African Landscapes, Past and Present will showcase art by pioneering modernist and trailblazing contemporary artists, spanning 175 years of visual landscape painting on the African continent. This comprehensive auction reveals a nuanced understanding of the diverse cultural, historical, and environmental contexts that have shaped artistic representations of the landscape. Through an examination of various themes, the auction seeks to engage viewers in a dialogue that transcends time and space, connecting past representations to contemporary perspectives. The auction attempts to engage with the diversity of artists that have shaped and continue to shape the depiction of Africa through time.

The auction invites viewers on a captivating journey through the artistic expressions that mirror the multifaceted nature of African terrain. Through meticulous  curation and insightful analysis, the catalogue aspires to be a valuable resource for scholars, art enthusiasts and anyone eager to embark on a thought-provoking exploration of Africa’s rich and complex artistic heritage.

Curatorial Voices
Recognising the dynamic discourse surrounding African Landscape, both past and present, the auction features texts by invited contemporary curators responding to the auction selection and themes. As external voices, they provide critical insights into the complexities of the landscape theme. By amplifying these contemporary perspectives, the exhibition seeks to bridge the gap between traditional representations and the ever-evolving discourse on the role of African art within the global art market.

Azza Satti, Independent Curator, Kenya
Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director of the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), Nigeria
Camilla van Hoogstraten, Head of Sales, Latitudes Online
Ugoma Ebilah, Curator, Gallerist & Founder of Bloom Art
Nkgopoleng Moloi, Independent Curator, South Africa


  • Thania Petersen; God save our hedge 1, Botanical Imperialism Series


Lot Estimate
ZAR 40 000 - 60 000

About this Item

South African 1980-
God save our hedge 1, Botanical Imperialism Series

signed, dated 2015 and numbered 1/5 on the reverse

photographic print
image size: 80 by 120cm; 92 by 132 by 3,5cm including frame

Notes

The present lot is in Berlin, Germany. For shipping enquiries, please contact shipping@straussart.co.za. Please note that delivery costs and any additional import or other taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.

’A stubborn remnant of the past, Jan van Riebeeck’s almond hedges [in the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden] are the subject of the 2015 photograph God save our hedge 1, Botanical Imperialism Series. The image is an apt companion to Queen Colonaaiers and her weapons of mass destruction 1 of the same year. Surrounded by colonial foliage, Petersen appears at odds with her contexts. This power relation is swiftly turned around in the 2017 collage Bahasagalaramashari, in which Petersen and who could be assumed to be her family, appear in harmony with their environment. Devised by Petersen herself Bahasagalaramashari is a Utopic concept, and provides a sense of hopefulness and power within the exhibition.’

Amie Soudien (2017) 'Backwards and forwards: Thania Petersen’s Remnants.' in ArtThrob, https://artthrob.co.za/2017/03/06/backwards-and-forwards-thania-petersens-remnants/, accessed 18 January 2024.

This lot has been selected by Curatorial Voice: Camilla van Hoogstraten.

Exhibited

Bode, Hamburg, Dear History: It’s Not Me, It’s You, 2017.

Everard Read, Cape Town, Remnants, 2017, another example from the edition exhibited.

View all Thania Petersen lots for sale in this auction



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