(born in Capetown in 1975)
Ubomvu, 2004–2007, wood, ribbon, tyre, lace, 183 x 102 x 74 cm

Provenance:
Galleria Extraspazio, Rome; there acquired by the present owner
European Private Collection

Exhibited:
Rome, Nicholas Hlobo-’Umakadenethwa engenadyasi’,
Galleria Extraspazio, 2007
Oslo, Nicholas Hlobo: Sculptures, installations, drawings, performances, The National Museum of Art,
Architecture & Design, February/April 2011

Due to its substantial size, method of production and use of materials such as rubber, wood and found textiles, this work is typical of the later, more highly regarded output of the South African artist. He is one of several protagonists of contemporary African art who have enjoyed international success. With its strong visual impact, this work also testifies to the investigation that underlies Hlobo’s work: an exploration of the human condition. In this piece the theme is, however, also bound by countless threads to his Xhosa culture, a background he shares with Nelson Mandela. He stringently avoids any kind of facile symbolism or didactic significance, and in this work too Hlobo evokes the spectres of identity that haunt the art of this period, in particular African art (sexuality, politics, ethnic origin…). Nevertheless, he chooses to deconstruct and convey these themes in a way that avoids the typically simplistic conceptual message offered to us by much mainstream art. Beyond the many potential readings (all possible and legitimate), Ubomwu deploys a powerful and simple form which is at once organic and biomorphic, and also an infinite pillar that thrusts skyward but cannot and will not detach itself from the earth.