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Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

Artist Kay Hassan South African, born 1956
Date2013
MediumPaper construction
Dimensions129 x 85 in. (327.7 x 215.9 cm)
ClassificationsPaper
Credit LinePurchased with funds from Mr. and Mrs. N. Richard Miller in memory of Martin B. Rosenthal, by exchange
Object number2015.23
On View
Not on view
Label TextKay Hassan’s large-scale paper constructions are made of torn, shredded, and collaged pieces of recycled billboard posters. In his monumental portraits and cityscapes, he explores themes of identity, migration, dispossession, trade, overproduction, waste, and urban life. As in this untitled work, the subjects of Hassan’s portraits are fictional characters that represent the ordinary people he encounters throughout his daily life in Johannesburg. He transforms scraps of paper into highly expressionistic portraits with a painterly sensibility for color, form, light, and detail.

Upon close inspection, the Benday dots of Hassan’s mass-produced materials are recognizable, revealing an undercurrent that, like the work of his peer El Anatsui, explores environmental issues provoked by the use of discarded materials. His use of materials that would generally be thrown away can also be read as a metaphor for the subjects he depicts—everyday people, whom he feels are often ignored and disregarded.
[L. Dougherty, 2015]ProvenanceCreated South Africa, 2013; collection of the artist; [Jack Shainman Gallery, New York]; sold to NCMA, 2015 [1].

[1] Purchased with funds from Mr. and Mrs. N. Richard Miller.
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