The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2022 Benefit Auction | Hosted by Sotheby’s

Mongezi Ncaphayi

Old and New Dreams

No reserve

Reserves

Lot Closed

February 22, 05:25 PM GMT

Estimate

4,000 - 6,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Mongezi Ncaphayi

South African

b.1983

Old and New Dreams

mixed Media, Indian ink and watercolour on cotton rag

150 by 140cm., 59 by 55in.

framed: 160 by 150cm., 63 by 59in.

Please be aware of the Conditions of Sale when bidding. As a benefit auction, there is no buyer’s premium charged. The only additional costs due to the winning bidder are applicable sales tax and shipping. Works auctioned are sold “as is,” and condition reports are included with lot descriptions as available. In-person previews of the auction artwork will be available at Norval Foundation at 4 Steenberg Rd, Tokai, Cape Town, 7945, South Africa from 26 January – 22 February, Monday to Sundays 9 AM – 5:00 PM (Closed on Tuesdays). Please note that while this auction is hosted on Sothebys.com, it is being administered by Norval Foundation (“the museum”), and all post-sale matters (inclusive of invoicing and property pickup/shipment) will be handled by the museum. As such, Sotheby’s will share the contact details for the winning bidders with the museum so that they may be in touch directly post-sale.

This work has been kindly donated by the artist

Mongezi Ncaphayi (b. 1983, South Africa) is an artist whose practice, largely minimalist, combines drawing and painting. Often inspired by the rhythmic intonations of music, his linework and marks expresses his practiced interest in jazz, translated through the language of abstraction. With a background in print-making, Ncaphayi has developed a unique visual language resembling a topographic layout of blurred map-making. Persistently transcribing his understandings through his own codes, Ncaphayi engages with ideas of communication, translation and interpretation in an effort to find meaning.

Old and New Dreams was created after a recent period of working with a group of young dancers from Indoni Dance Academy, which caters for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. For these works Ncaphayi invited a dancer to create marks on the paper with ink as he improvised on his saxophone. The live recording is accessible through the QR code and forms part of the artwork. The dancer used various tools to create marks, like feathers, brushes, mops as well as her hands and feet. A long sheet of paper was laid out on the floor for her to move on, which was then later cut to create three paintings. The work is completed by Ncaphayi when he adds his own trace over the dancer’s marks, expanding its story.