Durant Sihlali, 1935-2004, born South Africa Search this
Medium:
Colored cotton rag fibers
Dimensions:
Frame: 207 x 142.2 x 10.8 cm (81 1/2 x 56 x 4 1/4 in.)
Type:
Painting
Geography:
South Africa
Date:
1997-1998
Label Text:
To create the colorful motifs in this work, the artist applied dyed paper pulp with a brush or tool, then pressed the pulp with a roller onto the surface of handmade paper. The marks, circles and Xs layering "Graffiti Signatures" echo graffiti scripts found on urban walls in South Africa. For Sihlali, such walls act as a form of urban literature, chronicling important local histories. The Xs also referred to the stamps placed on shanty structures designated for destruction by government forces.
Description:
This painting mimics graffiti scripts found on urban walls in South Africa. It presents layers of mark, circles and x's as well as the figure of a cat.
Exhibition History:
African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013–August 12, 2019 (installed March 13, 2018–July 8, 2019)
Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, May 9- August 26, 2007; Fowler Museum at University of California, Los Angeles, October 14, 2007-February 17, 2008
Encounters with the Contemporary, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 7, 2001-January 6, 2002
Claiming Art / Reclaiming Space: Post Apartheid Art from South Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 21-September 26, 1999
An Exhibit of Contemporary African Art, EarthHues Gallery, October-December 1998
Published References:
Debela, Achamyeleh, William B. Karg, Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie and John Peffer. 1990. Earthhues: An Exhibit of Contemporary African Art. Washington D.C.: Worldspace.
Kreamer, Christine, Mary Nooter Roberts, Elizabeth Harney and Allyson Purpura. 2007. Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution; Milan: 5 Continents Editions, pp. 158, 171, no. 14.18.
Kreamer, Christine, Mary Nooter Roberts, Elizabeth Harney and Allyson Purpura. 2007. "Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art." African Arts 40 (3), p. 89, no. 27.
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