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Exhibition examines how South African artists have historically engaged with themes of labour and industry.
April Art: Sale highlights spectrum of portraiture, landscape, still life, sculpture. Picture: Collage/ H&G
Strauss & Co is pleased to present April ART, a timed online auction which started running from 11 to 22 April, with bidding open throughout the Easter weekend.
The sale highlights a broad spectrum of artistic expression, including portraiture, landscape, still life, and sculpture, while also exploring the theme of work across various industries.
Featured artists interpret labour in diverse ways, from depictions of miners, farmers and craftsmen to more abstract engagements with the idea of work.
Included in the sale is Sam Nhlengethwa’s A Tired Miner, a work that documents and pays tribute to South Africa’s mining communities.
Nhlengethwa has long been committed to documenting the lives of mineworkers, spending time underground to capture their experiences first-hand.
April ART coincides with Working Life in South Africa: Gerard Sekoto & Lena Hugo (from 1 April – 30 May) at Strauss & Co in Johannesburg.
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Curated by senior art specialist and head curator Wilhelm van Rensburg, the exhibition examines how South African artists have historically engaged with themes of labour and industry.
Diederick During’s Working with Spade and Fork (estimated between R25 000 and R35 000), exemplifies the theme of labour with striking clarity.
His work reflects the daily rhythms and endurance of workers.
Meanwhile, notable sculpture in the sale includes Figures on a Rock (estimated between R30 000 and R40 000) by Marco Cianfanelli, a South African artist whose practice spans art, architecture, and engagement with public spaces.
April ART features works by both known and lesser-known artists, including Thami Jali, whose Stone Garden VI (Green Wall) merges surrealist dreamscapes with traditional symbolism and Trevor Coleman, best known for his rich use of colour.
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Among the highlights is Ayanda Mabulu’s Memorial City II (estimated between R30 000 and R50 000), a work rooted in his experiences in China between 2011 and 2014.
Originally invited by the Chenshia Art Foundation for a solo exhibition in Wuhan, Mabulu returned for a second show in 2014 and participated in the AESFFC residency in Chengdu where he collaborated with Chinese artist Dong Xiaozhuang to produce Memorial City II, an artwork that merges diverse cultural influences.
The sale includes William Kentridge’s Thinking Aloud, Small Thoughts, the Moon (estimated between R30 000 and R50 000), one in a series of prints that emerged from extensive interviews with art historian Angela Breidbach.
Kentridge describes these works as traces of his thought process, visual musings that capture the energy of spontaneous sketching.
April ART includes multiple works by Mari Vermeulen-Breedt, an artist whose 45-year-long career was influenced by the rugged, fissured rock formations of the Amatole Mountains in the Eastern Cape.
Join the Art Club Johannesburg on Tuesday at 6pm. For more details, visit www.straussart.co.za.
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