The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2023 Benefit Auction | Hosted by Sotheby’s

Tuli-Mekondjo

OTJIZE I: Rituals of Initiation

Reserves

Lot Closed

January 31, 05:27 PM GMT

Estimate

5,000 - 7,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Tuli-Mekondjo

Namibian

b.1982

OTJIZE I: Rituals of Initiation

signed and dated 2022 (lower left)

mahangu grain, archival image transfer, resin, gold spray paint, paint markers/ gold marker, acrylic inks, cotton crochet yarn, embroidery thread, wild silk fabric on canvas

150 by 150cm., 59 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 25 January – 20 March, Monday to Sundays 9AM – 5:00PM (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

Tuli Mekondjo is a self-taught Namibian artist who works with mixed media, focussing on staple Namibian materials such as mahangu (millet) grain and rock pigments. Drawing on colonial and war-time photographic archives, Mekondjo’s practice explores Namibian history and identity politics. In much of her most recent work, the artist positions herself in dialogue with her ancestors – particularly when it comes to women – directly acknowledging their pain whilst commenting on gendered struggle, intergenerational trauma and the effects of displacement.

OTJIZE I: Rituals of Initiation (2022) explores collective traumas through the ritualistic and ancestral mysticism of the powdered rock (Otjize). Known as red ochre, the pigment’s rich colour is symbolic of the earth from which it is derived, as well as womanhood (blood, conception, birthing). In this work, Mekondjo explores these connotations in addition to the knowledge that is passed on during ritualistic ceremonies that use Otjize, such as coming-of-age initiation ceremonies, child-naming and burials. The red hue, thus, serves as a witness to trauma, healing and rebirth from generation to generation.