18th Mar, 2026 19:00
Modern & Contemporary Art
54
Chulumanco Feni (South Africa 1994-)
Unyana II
acrylic on canvas
Artwork date: 2021
Signature details: signed and dated on the reverse
Exhibited: Under the Aegis, Cape Town, 'Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt', 28 October to 7 November 2021.
Exchange Rates*: USD 2 520 – 3 781
GBP 1 862 – 2 793
EURO 2 134 – 3 201
Condition Report
The overall condition is excellent.
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.
acrylic on canvas
Artwork date: 2021
Signature details: signed and dated on the reverse
Exhibited: Under the Aegis, Cape Town, 'Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt', 28 October to 7 November 2021.
Exchange Rates*: USD 2 520 – 3 781
GBP 1 862 – 2 793
EURO 2 134 – 3 201
(1)
89.5 x 71 x 4 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Cape Town.
Under the Aegis, Cape Town.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Feni Chulumanco is a self-taught artist whose practice is rooted in personal introspection and lived experience. Although he enjoyed art from a young age; his artistic trajectory was shaped by a pivotal encounter with fellow artist Ayanda Mabulu in 2014, as well as time spent among artists at Greatmore Studios (Cape Town), where he was also mentored by Mabulu.
Chulumanco’s compositions centre on solitary, faceless figures set against richly saturated fields of textiles and pattern. These backgrounds are more than decorative; they are tactile echoes, recalling the rugs, blankets, and upholstery of his grandmother’s home in KwaLanga. The figures, which he describes as self-portraits as well as reflections of his brother and younger self, are partially inspired by West African masks. Their obscured faces also speak to his own experiences of rejection and invisibility while pursuing a career as an artist. Often enclosed within glass boxes, they evoke themes of individualism, vulnerability, and self-preservation.
The artist has had several solo exhibitions including, Where Thou Art – That – is Home (2024) and Behind the Walls (2022) at Osart Gallery in Milan as well as Imiyalelo (2022) at EBONY/CURATED in Cape Town. Group exhibitions include Home is Where the Art is (2020) at the Zeitz MOCAA and 8X8 (2021) at EBONY/CURATED. Chulumanco has completed residencies at Ruth Prowse School of Art (2018) and Greatmore Studios Trust (2019).
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: 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.
