Strauss & co - Wits Art Museum

38 WITS ARTS MUSEUM ENDOWMENT AUCTION 25 Michael MacGarry (b.1978) Zhou Enlai and the Scramble for Africa Inkjet print on cotton paper 68,5 x 96cm 1/10 2009 Donated by the artist R7 000 – 10 000 Michael MacGarry, a graduate of Wits University, was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art in 2010. According to the artist , his work: ‘investigates the ongoing ramifications of imperialism on the African continent, coupled with the analysis and parody of the socio-political and economic role of political elites within this context as well as the increasing complicated dynamics attendant on the extraction of natural resources – particularly oil – in African nation-states post- independence. ‘ Zhou Enlai and the Scramble for Africa is no exception, as it deals with the increased influence that China holds over Africa. The original tableau, which the artist photographed, consisted of a life-sized mannequin carrying an AK-47, its face covered with an African mask, which had been purchased by MacGarry but recarved and repainted to resemble the former Chinese Prime Minister, Zhou Enlai.  LdB