The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2023 Benefit Auction | Hosted by Sotheby’s
The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2023 Benefit Auction | Hosted by Sotheby’s
High Neck
Lot Closed
January 31, 05:25 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Serge Attukwei Clottey
Ghanaian
b. 1985
High Neck
signed and dated 2022 (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
134 by 92cm., 52¾ by 36¼in.
framed: 145.5 by 103.5cm., 57¼ by 40¾in.
This work has been kindly donated by the artist
Serge Attukwei Clottey is a multidisciplinary artist living and working between Accra and Los Angeles. Although his main practice involves his unique revisioning of scrap materials, his work delves into questions of image-making, representation and identity as well. His sensitive oil paintings are inspired by mid-century black and white photography made on the coast of West Africa, updating its visual language with figures who express the contemporary moment.
High Neck (2022) is a portrait painted in oil on canvas. The work draws on imagery Clottey sources from contemporary media; in this instance, he references a collection by fashion designer Oswald Boateng. The artist chooses subjects for their expressive nature, paying particular attention to those who playfully subvert conventions of race, gender and sexuality. In the artist’s world, black bodies are no longer props; they assert their independence, pushing beyond antiquated notions of personhood.