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

Bonolo Kavula

Tswelopele

No reserve

Reserves

This lot has been withdrawn

Lot Details

Description

Bonolo Kavula

South African

b.1992

Tswelopele

punched shweshwe, thread, wood

140cm by 82cm., 55 by 32¼in.

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

Bonolo Kavula (b. 1992, South Africa) is an artist who uses abstraction to break with the traditions of print while maintaining a practice that is informed by the rules and logic of printmaking. She makes contemporary print works which go beyond the use of ink on paper, while the logic of printmaking remains a crucial part of her work. Punched shweshwe fabric and thread are used in combination with design, painting and sculpture to create contemporary print works.

In Tswelopele Kavula’s choice of material, shweshwe, a traditional printed textile with a rich history rooted in Southern Africa, is reminiscent of a red shweshwe dress that was an heirloom. Shweshwe is laden with intricate designs, like patterns etched into the fabric. The deconstruction and reconstruction of the fabric allows a new design to emerge from the mass of dots, leaving space for the viewer to interpret the work as they choose.