Totem pole Drawing

A totem pole for Africa’s travelling circus is depicted. South African collective narrative is a journey into malleable states of victimhood and perpetrating violence. The country’s history of Apartheid and current experience of dealing with the deeply embedded remnants of that dividing time reminds me of the bloody, grinning eccentricity that is circus-life. Part of being a South African is to be closely linked to the earth – it is a dry country where people are always performing rituals and praying to bring the thunderclouds closer, where the bones of poverty is one breath away – one is sensitive to omens in nature to know what to prepare for. It is a space where we try to live the stories we tell each other of our best selves – in the midst of leaders who betray, a government that only exists to feed itself. The totem pole becomes a guardian against the forces that tear us away from our true selves. It is also a warning against illusions of safety. As a practicing kundalini yogini, the symbolism of animals and the postures of bodies, the angles of heads and eyes and ears are meaningful to me. In this regard the drawing subconsciously began to resemble a part of my personal spiritual experience - marrying seemingly dual qualities of gentleness, silence and a fierce active energy into a balancing dance. South Afrcian artist Diane Victor has a sensitive, dramatic application in her print-work that inspires the realism of this piece. All-round eccentric artist Tim Burton ‘s influence peek through the background as his work reminds me to always stay wonderfully weird. The charcoal and water-colour drawing/painting is executed on 100% cotton blend fabriano paper. The texture of the paper is dimpled to allow the wetness of water to settle smoothly and gives the charcoal lines added texture. Derwent charcoal and Winton&Newton water-colour paint was used to ensure the richest tones and highest quality work. A layer of fixative was sprayed as a final step to seal the charcoal to the paper. The work is unframed and has no hanging hardware.

Drawing:Charcoal on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:27.6 W x 39.4 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.