Circle Art Auction 2015 Lot 38 Nadir Tharani

Nadir Tharani (Tanzanian, born 1952)
9-1-7. For Ali and Aziz, 2014
Signed ‘Tharani’ (verso right)
Acrylic and indian ink on paper
91 x 61 cm

Ksh 110,000-132,000
(US$ 1,000-1,200)
Sold Ksh 293,500

Provenance: direct from the artist

This work is from Nadir Tharani’s series of paintings and drawings Positions of Power, which explores the actions and mutilations imposed on the human body by those who exert power.

“We would all like a simple death, like not waking up from a nap on the sofa after reading, or gently, in the midst of our sleep. Ali and Aziz, however, had a brutal end imposed on them.”

Tharani studied architecture at UCL in London whilst exploring the visual arts, including graphic and print work at the same time. He has displayed his works around the UK as well as in Germany, Denmark, Kenya and Tanzania. Selected group exhibitions include the touring exhibition Africa Now in 2008-2009, and East African Encounters, Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, 2014. His graphic and print work has been shown at various print biennales in London and Berlin, and he has made site-specific architectural installations commissioned in London and India.