ribbon, leather and thread on canvas
Artwork date: 2021
Signature details: signed, dated and inscribed with the title on the reverse
Sold for R1,479,400
Estimated at R500,000 - R800,000
Condition Report
The condition is mint.
Please note, we are not qualified conservators and these reports give our opinion as to the general condition of the works. We advise that bidders view the lots in person to satisfy themselves with the condition of prospective purchases.
ribbon, leather and thread on canvas
Artwork date: 2021
Signature details: signed, dated and inscribed with the title on the reverse
(1)
120 x 179 cm; framed size: 143 x 203.5 x 13.5 cm
Notes:
During the 2011 Venice Biennale, everywhere you turned, there was a Nicholas Hlobo artwork being shown. His work was included in the 54th Venice Biennale Exhibition ILLUMInazioni – ILLUMInations, curated by Bice Curiger at the Central Pavilion, The World Belongs to You, works from the Pinault Collection at Palazzo Grassi, and the Future Generation Art Prize exhibition at Palazzo Papadopoli.
Nicholas Hlobo’s oeuvre encompasses a broad repertoire of work consisting of performance, sculpture, installations, drawing, and mixed media-found objects ‘paintings’. Drawing from his rich IsiXhosa heritage, his work explores themes of desire, sexuality, identity, masculinity and ethnicity, referencing being a gay man within Xhosa culture.
In his 'paintings’ Hlobo pairs rubber inner tubing, ribbon, lace, silicone and thread, intricately stitched and embroidered into a visual feast. It is tactile and visceral, but also confronts and confounds.
The present lot, titled Intlambo yachulumanco which translates to, Abundant Joy or Happiness, was a special acquisition by the late Nwabisa Xayiya. Hlobo recounts that the work was created after he met Nwabisa and they both discovered and bonded over their common Xhosa lineage. For her, it was a joyous acquisition.
Hlobo always titles his works in isiXhosa, he notes that, “The language I use does not have a long history as a written language, but it is quite rich in grammar, in poetry, in metaphors. I like metaphors. They’re open-ended. Or they can close things that are very open. All spoken languages employ metaphor. I also like inventing my own metaphors. I think it's fun. They can soften the subject matter”
Nicholas Hlobo was born in Cape Town in 1975 and grew up in the Eastern Cape. He was the first recipient of the Villa Extraordinary Award for Sculpture in 2016, received the Tollman Award in 2006, was the Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art in 2009 and was the Rolex Visual Arts Protégé in 2010/2011, when he was mentored by Anish Kapoor.
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Auction: Art, Life and Love: The Collection of Nwabisa Xayiya (Live Auction), 31st Oct, 2021
This October, 2021, we are honoured to present Art, Life and Love: The Collection of Nwabisa Xayiya, a single owner auction showcasing the cultivated taste and style of Nwabisa Xayiya.
The auction offers examples by great modernists as well as exciting contemporary pieces. Notable is a selection of work by George Pemba. There is also a set of impressive urban scenes and portraits by Gerard Sekoto, a rarely seen Alexis Preller, a glorious Robert Hodgins, and varied examples of Dumile Feni’s work. Within the contemporary offering, there are outstanding works by Blessing Ngobeni, Sam Nhlengethwa, William Kentridge, Teresa Firmino, Athi-Patra Ruga, Kudzanai Chiurai, Nelson Makamo, Owusu-Ankomah and Nicholas Hlobo.
Viewing
Lots will be on view at the Xayiya residence: 63 4th Street, Houghton, Johannesburg
Saturday 23 October to Saturday 30 October from 10 am to 6 pm
Currency conversions are based on the exchange rate at the auction's start time and date. Bidders should verify the current exchange rate on the day of the sale. All invoices and payments must be made in South African Rands.
Logistics
While we endeavour to assist our Clients as much as possible, we require artwork(s) to be delivered and/or collected from our premises by the Client. In instances where a Client is unable to deliver or collect artwork(s), Aspire staff is available to assist in this process by outsourcing the services to one of our preferred Service Providers. The cost for this will be for the Client’s account, with an additional Handling Fee of 15% charged on top of the Service Provider’s invoice.
Aspire Art provides inter-company transfer services for its Clients between Johannesburg and Cape Town branches. These are based on the size of the artwork(s), and charged as follows:
Small (≤60x90x10 cm): R480
Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R960
Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,440
Over-size: Special quote
Should artwork(s) be collected or delivered to/from Clients by Aspire Art directly, the following charges will apply:
Collection/delivery ≤20km: R400
Collection/delivery 20km>R800≤50km
Collection/delivery >50km: Special quote
Packaging
A flat fee of R100 will be added to the invoice for packaging of unframed works on paper.
International Collectors Shipping Package
For collectors based outside South Africa who purchase regularly from Aspire Art’s auctions in South Africa, it does not make sense to ship artworks individually or per auction and pay shipping every time you buy another work. Consequently, we have developed a special collectors’ shipping package to assist in reducing shipping costs and the constant demands of logistics arrangements.
For buyers from outside South Africa, we will keep the artworks you have purchased in storage during the year and then ship all the works you have acquired during the year together, so the shipping costs are reduced. At the end of the annual period, we will source various quotes to get you the best price, and ship all your artworks to your desired address at once.
Aspire Art will arrange suitable storage during, and cost-effective shipping at the end, of the annual period.
Collections
Collections are by appointment, with 24-hours’ notice
Clients are requested to contact the relevant office and inform Aspire Art of which artwork(s) they would like to collect, and allow a 24-hour window for Aspire Art’s logistics department to retrieve the artwork(s) and prepare them for collection.
Handling Fee
Aspire Art charges a 15% Handling Fee on all Logistics, Framing, Restoration and Conservation arranged by Aspire.