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Colbert Mashile, né en 1972
Mashile, Colbert (South African 1972 - )
Group of figures
Oil on canvas, signed, 2004
97,5 x 97,5cm
In Group of Figures, Colbert Mashile brings together a crowd of strange and often phallic shapes -
people standing with their backs to us. We are shown what they are looking at: a field of scribbled
shapes and symbols, perhaps drawn on a blackboard, perhaps patterns in the night sky. At the age
of 10, Mashile underwent traditional circumcision and uses his artistic practice to reflect on what he
experienced as trauma and violence and many of his works refer back to these ritual ceremonies
and practices. In this painting the figures seem to be wrapped in blankets, which directly suggests a
circumcision ritual. The painting also features the symbol of the cowrie shell (on the far right hand side),
which was used repeatedly by Mashile in this time period to signify an ancestral presence. Interestingly,
the shell normally appears at the very top or bottom of the image but here becomes the head of one of
the initiates. Additionally, this work is unique in that it makes quite a direct and illustrative reference to his
subject matter, whereas other artworks tend to be much more metaphorical and emblematic.