Strauss & co - 1 December 2018, Cape Town

56 Zeitz MOCAA Benefit Art Auction 26 Peju Alatise NIGERIAN 1976- Butterfly Effect 2017 signed and dated 2017 metal, resin cast and acrylic paint 91,5 by 91,5 by 91,5cm ZAR80 000 - 120 000 £4 500 - 6 600 $5 700 - 8 600 € 5 000 - 7 500 PROVENANCE Donated by the artist. Peju Alatise defines her artistic practice as a search for truth.Words, fibreglass, broken bottles, sawdust, acrylic, canvas, metal, sand and fabrics are but a few of the materials used to reconstruct her universe, which draws from her experiences of life in Nigeria, with all of its socio-political and religious baggage in tow. Her philosophical quest for meaning is reflected here through the depiction of eight young children, staring down at the hole in each of their chests. The artwork harbours surreal qualities, and is structured so that each child stands on their own beam, creating the kind of ‘knock-on’ repetition alluded to in the work’s title, Butterfly Effect (2017). Peju Alatise (b. 1975, Nigeria) has exhibited at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London (UK: 2014); the Casablanca Biennale, Casablanca (Morocco: 2014); Art Twenty-One, Lagos (Nigeria: 2013); and the Nike Art Gallery, Lagos (Nigeria: 2012), amongst others.