Dennis Osadebe - 24/7 Hong Kong Monday, October 7, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Jumee Kim Gallery, Daejeon
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Exhibited

    Daejeon, Jumee Kim Gallery, Work. Life. Balance., 1 August – 31 August 2019

  • Catalogue Essay

    Executed in 2019, Lunch Break presents the viewer with an engaging canvas of magenta and deep-indigo colour planes, horizontally sliced by a line of sky-blue. Sophistically composed of minimalist geometric shapes, a figure dressed in bright yellow attire stands below the red silhouette of a ceiling light. Partially covered by candy-floss, a decorative mask disguises the subject's identity entirely. Despite a lack of visible facial features, distinct yellow rings frame and direct the figure's gaze to confront the viewer, drawing them into Dennis Osadebe's colourful world.

    The mask is a repetitive narrative used in the artist's work that represents a link to Nigerian historical and cultural references. In juxtaposing these links by bringing the symbol of the mask into a contemporary urban setting, Lunch Break works to deconstruct the perception of 'African Art'. Under the realm of 'Neo-Africa', a cultural movement founded by Osadebe, the present lot encourages people to rebrand tradition in a way that reflects the transforming world.

    The intriguing plays of colour in Osadebe's Lunch Break stem from the Nigerian artist's unique blend of working methods, whereby he blurs the line between digital and painting techniques. In layering paint over sections of his digitally composed scenes, Osadebe consequently renders each work a unique, as he removes the ability to reproduce it digitally.

    The present lot exists as part of Osadebe's series, Work. Life. Balance., which was presented as part of his first solo show in South Korea at the Jumee Kim Gallery (2019). Just this year, the artist has additionally presented solo shows at Galerie Liusa Wang in Paris (2019) and at Avenue des Arts in Los Angeles (2019).

58

Lunch Break

2019
signed, titled, numbered and dated 'DENNIS OSADEBE 111 "LUNCH BREAK" 2019' on the reverse
digital illustration and acrylic on canvas
57 x 80 cm. (22 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.)
Executed in 2019.

Estimate
HK$10,000 - 20,000 
€1,200-2,300
$1,300-2,600

Sold for HK$25,000

Contact Specialist

Delissa Putri Handoko
Head of Sale, 20th Century & Contemporary Art

24/7

Online Auction 9-18 October 2019