18th Mar, 2026 19:00
Modern & Contemporary Art
41
Kimathi Mafafo (South Africa 1984-)
Voiceless II
oil on canvas
Artwork date: 2019
Signature details: signed on the reverse
Exchange Rates*: USD 6 301 – 9 451
GBP 4 655 – 6 982
EURO 5 335 – 8 003
Sold for R128,975
Estimated at R100,000 - R150,000
Condition Report
The overall condition is very good.
Bubble wrap has stuck onto the canvas, resulting in minor paint loss in areas.
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.
oil on canvas
Artwork date: 2019
Signature details: signed on the reverse
Exchange Rates*: USD 6 301 – 9 451
GBP 4 655 – 6 982
EURO 5 335 – 8 003
(1)
150 x 114 x 4 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Cape Town.
Artnet, Online, Africa Present, 31 August to 14 September 2021.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Kimberley, South Africa, Kimathi Mafafo is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans embroidery, oil painting, and installation. Her work interrogates colonial and patriarchal stereotypes that have historically framed African women as either ornamental or subservient, offering instead images of autonomy, and quiet power.
The artist’s abstracted female figures are often enveloped by lush greenery and sensuous drapery. These verdant, dreamlike environments are far removed from the arid mining town of her upbringing and the settings function not as literal spaces but as psychological terrains and sites of retreat and restoration. Indeed, the artist’s earliest works are partly autobiographical, tracing the story of a woman retreating from urban life to rediscover strength in nature and within herself.
Mafafo’s father, G. Rocky Mafafo, was also a respected artist, a watercolourist. He encouraged his children to attend art classes at the William Humphreys Art Gallery in Kimberly. There, Mafafo was inspired by the 16th - and 17th -century Dutch still-life paintings in the museum’s collection, whose vivid colour and meticulous detail continue to inform the richness and tactility of her surfaces.
Through her practice, Mafafo seeks to affirm the beauty, dignity, and inner worlds of Black women, encouraging viewers to consider themes of self-worth and empowerment. Her work has been exhibited both locally and internationally, with her most recent solo show in 2025 at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery in Florida, USA.
COLLECTIONS:
The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the Indianapolis Museum of Art; Figge Art Museum, Iowa; Kilbourn Collection, Cape Town; William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberly; Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection, Johannesburg; Africa First Collection, Israel; IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein; The Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town; Spiers Arts Trust, Cape Town; Nelson Mandela Art Museum and the Gqeberha ; Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch.
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Auction: Modern & Contemporary Art, 18th Mar, 2026
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.
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): R550
Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R1,100
Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,650
Over-size: 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.
