Strauss & co - 1 December 2018, Cape Town

16 Zeitz MOCAA Benefit Art Auction Throughout interviews with Barthélémy Toguo, the word ‘LIFE’ appears in capital letters. Using his own as a source of inspiration, Toguo’s art is informed by his experiences of having lived in many different regions of the world. His practice is similarly osmotic, shifting between performance, sculpture, video, installation and drawing. Celebrations 10 (2014) depicts an amputated figure with needles protruding from the body. An umbilical cord draws from a gourd on the floor, feeding through the lower-half of the body into the figure’s mouth, which is tilted back uncomfortably to receive it. The blood- like substance appears as both a source of nourishment and intoxication, bringing to mind the concoction of suffering, pain, and joy that we experience in life. Barthélémy Toguo (b. 1967, Cameroon) has exhibited work at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, (France: 2017); the Venice Biennale,Venice (Italy: 2015); the Dak’Art Biennale, Dakar (Senegal: 2014); Uppsala Konstmuseum, Uppsala (Sweden: 2014); the Studio Museum Harlem, New York (USA: 2013); and the Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA: 2010), amongst others. 6 Barthélémy Toguo CAMEROONIAN 1967- Celebrations 10 2014 signed, dated and inscribed with the title watercolour on paper sheet size: 28 by 38,5cm ZAR80 000 - 120 000 £4 500 - 6 600 $5 700 - 8 600 € 5 000 - 7 500 PROVENANCE Donated by the artist. Courtesy of Stevenson. Image courtesy of Mario Todeschini