30th Nov, 2022 18:00
20th Century & Contemporary Art
35
Simphiwe Mbunyuza (South Africa 1989-)
Nqolomsila
ceramic and underglaze
Artwork date: 2022
Signature details: signed along the bottom
Sold for R284,500
Estimated at R250,000 - R350,000
ceramic and underglaze
Artwork date: 2022
Signature details: signed along the bottom
(1)
97 x 63 x 63 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Johannesburg.
Notes:
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this lot will benefit art students on Feenix.org, an online fundraising platform that connects students and communities to fundraise towards achieving debt-free tertiary education.
Simphiwe Mbunyuza is a young South African artist and ceramicist based in Johannesburg. His large-scale abstract ceramic work draws inspiration from his Xhosa background and African cultural symbolism. “My work involves relationships and interactions within African cultural symbolism and cultural day-to-day objects used by African groups, particularly the Xhosa people.”1 For Mbunyuza, identity, history, memory, traditional techniques and the use of indigenous materials are all important markers when considering his practice.
Mbunyuza grew up in a small village called Mambendeni, just outside Butterworth in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. His work is influenced by the people and cultures of the village, taking from Xhosa and the other cultural groups that now populate the region. For example, the coloured elements in Mbunyuza’s ceramics draw from customs of decorating mud houses and the tradition of women painting their faces with decorative dots during ceremonies.
The artist holds a Master of Fine Art degree from The University of Oklahoma and a Fine Arts degree from Walter Sisulu University. He has exhibited internationally, including a recent exhibition at Marianne Boesky in Aspen, Colorado and USA, as well as Gallery 1957 in London and Accra, among others. He is the recipient of awards and residencies including the Anderson Ranch Arts Centre in 2021; the Red Clay Faction Award and Oscar Jacobson Award from The University of Oklahoma in 2019; John Steele Award for Excellence in Ceramics from The Walter Sisulu University; a residency with A.I.R Vallauris, France, in 2017 and has been invited to participate on a 2-years residency at world-renowned Archie Bray Foundation in Montana, USA.
- Email from the artist to Jacqui Carney, 21 October 2022.
You can place an absentee bid through our website - please sign in to your account on our website to proceed.
In the My Account tab you can also enter telephone bids, or email bids@aspireart.net to log telephone/absentee bids.
Join us on the day of the auction to follow and bid in real-time.
The auction will be live-streamed with an audio-visual feed.
Auction: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 30th Nov, 2022
The focused sale brings to market 84 highly collectable lots, with the diverse collection showcasing highlights by modern masters including magnificent still-life compositions and a Zanzibari boat scene by Irma Stern, an Alexis Preller abstract and an early JH Pierneef landscape. Also included is a significant collection of celebrated contemporary artists: Mustafa Maluka, David Koloane, Walter Oltmann, Norman Catherine, Willem Boshoff, a rare self-portrait oil by Robert Hodgins as well as a large bronze sculpture by Zanele Muholi, the first of this new body of work to be offered on auction.
The sale features a special selection of artworks by William Kentridge. One of the most celebrated and influential living artists today, his major retrospective exhibition is currently on show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. This is one of the most unique and high-quality Kentridge collections to come to market. Spanning his career and showcasing the many mediums in which he works, the sale features signature charcoal drawings alongside collages, tapestry, prints and sculptures.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
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.