Wim Botha (South African, active 1974) Prism 18, 2015
Provenance : Provenance Stevenson, Cape Town; A private collection (acquired from the above in 2016). Prism 18 (2015) belongs to an ongoing series of semi-abstracted busts created by South African artist, Wim Botha. Botha, who lives and works in Cape Town, has gained a reputation for reconfiguring art historical tropes through his use of unconventional materials including stacked books and government documents. The present work is formed from a polystyrene block which has been roughly shaped using a chainsaw and wire cutter before being cast in bronze. The face of the figure never fully emerges from the carved block. The features remain unarticulated and are further obscured by the intersecting cuts that crisscross the surface of the blackened bronze. The violent treatment of the bust is carried through to the wooden plinth which features a jagged incision to its right side. The angular lines and blackened quality of the bronze sculpture destabilise the meanings traditionally granted to a portrait. Rather than identifying a subject, the bust stands as an index of process, prompting us to reconsider the role of artmaking in the formation of identity and power. Botha's confrontational practice has granted him a number of prestigious awards including the Helgaard Steyn Prize for sculpture in 2013, the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 2005, and the first Tollman Award in 2003.
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