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Catalog Data

Maker:
Kagiso Pat Mautloa, born 1952, South Africa  Search this
Medium:
Mixed media on wood
Dimensions:
H x W: 122.5 x 110 cm (48 1/4 x 43 5/16 in.)
Type:
Painting
Geography:
South Africa
Date:
2000
Label Text:
Mautloa's abstract works are concerned with scale, size and texture and are saturated with color. They focus on life in the townships, creating compositions in which the harshness and simple beauties of life coexist. Mautloa is able to bring the environments of township life into the gallery space through careful manipulations of found materials such as metals, barbed wire, cloth, nails and weeds, enveloping them all in a serene palette of pastel blues, pinks, grays and yellows.
In this work, Mautloa addresses the impact of AIDS upon the everyday life of township residents, crafting the barbed wires that separate the haves and the have nots in South Africa into a soothing heart shape. The canvas is opened to reveal the window of an apothecary dispensing small viles of local medicine (healing and aphrodisiac potions). The brutality associated with the barbed wire and metal grill fences is softened by the application of a soft medical gauze that coats the canvas. The gauze also suggests the veil of misunderstanding and secrecy surrounding the contraction and implications of HIV status.
Description:
Large mixed media, primarily abstract work in pink, orange pastel palette. The texture and surface of the composition is build up through an additive collage process and overlaid with a thin layer of medical gauze. A small rectangle is cut into the canvas and fronted by a wire cage to reveal within a number of small viles. Barbed wire and scrap metal are shaped into a heart form and a vague figurative form to complete the composition.
Exhibition History:
Healing Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 2016 - June 26, 2019
Recent Acquisitions and Promised Gifts, National Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 18, 2002-January 5, 2003
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by the Annie Laurie Aitken Endowment
Object number:
2000-23-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© 2000 K.P. Mautloa
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys75bcb091c-4f34-4da8-a053-c8aee604cb07
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2000-23-1