99 SERIES (PART TWO) ,2013
Provenance : Provenance: Private collection, Pretoria. David Krut, Johannesburg.
Exhibited : Savanna College of Art and Design, Savanna, 'The Divine Comedy, Contemporary African Artists', 16 October 2014 to 25 January 2015, an example from the edition exhibited.; Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, 'New Works and Conversations around African Art', 16 January to 13 March 2016, an example from the edition exhibited.
Literature : Njami, S.(ed). (2014). 'The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists'. Bielefeld: Kerber, an example from the edition illustrated in colour on the cover page.
Notes : COLLECTOR'S NOTE Internationally acclaimed photographer, Aida Muluneh is an known for her captivating and bold images. Born in Ethiopia, Muluneh spent her early years living in various countries such as Canada, Yamen, and the United States due to her family's diplomatic background. Drawing from her cross-cultural upbringing and her background as a photojournalist, Muluneh uses vibrant colours, intricate compositions, and symbolism to explore the complexities of not only her own identity but the identity of Africans and the African diaspora in her photographic works. Vibrant and embued symbolism, the current two photographs form part the artist’s 7-part series produced in 2013. Giving insight into her thought process the artist notes: “…I painted her body white because for me, living in this city we call Addis Ababa, we don’t need to fantasize about going to the Inferno – I have seen and experienced enough things to really make me question humanity. I have realized that in order to get ahead here, many people wear masks in order to protect their future. But while doing this, the reality is that I have seen the various atrocities and the great lengths that many will go to in order to maintain their success. So with that in mind, for me the red hands symbolize the guilt associated with the thirst for upward mobility. The cloth wrapped around Salem’s body is specifically from the southern region of Ethiopia, which has endured several centuries of oppression, slavery, and so forth. For the background colour, I chose the off-grey because it reminds me of dirty snow; this reminds me of my childhood growing up in Canada, in the midst of the bitter cold, and also the challenges that I faced being an African immigrant in an all-white community.”[1] Aida Muluneh continues to exhibit worldwide. Notable group exhibitions include: Being: New Photography 2018 exhibition at MoMA, Reflections of Hope at the Agha Khan Museum in Toronto (2018), Afrique Capitales in Paris (2017). In 2019 she became the first black woman to co-curate the Noble Peace Prize Exhibition, and in 2020 she returned as a commissioned artist for the Prize with her solo exhibition titled, Aida Muluneh: Road to Glory. The artist also founded the Addis Foto Fest, Ethiopia’s first biennial exhibition of photography in 2010. [1] Njami, S., Museum Für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt Am Main, Germany and U.S, A. (2014). The Divine Comedy: heaven, purgatory and hell revisited by contemporary African artists. Bielefeld: Kerber. The artwork is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Condition_report : The overall condition is excellent.
