WAM Endowment Auction
Live Auction, 27 May 2015
WAM Endowment Auction
About this Item
Owen Ndou
South African 1964-
Tortoise Soccer Referee
Date unrecorded, collected between 1990 and 1993
wood and paint
100 by 39 by 48cm
Notes
In this sculpture of a soccer referee sporting soccer boots, red card and a referee's whistle around his neck, Ndou has chosen an animal that is patently unsuitable for the job - he is far too slow to referee any soccer match except among tortoises. In African folktales the tortoise is considered canny and wise and a great trickster. These traits together with his protective shell would serve him well in controlling the players in the tempestuous game.
Provenance
Donated by Trent Read