Lot 23 Nadir Tharani at Art Auction East Africa 2018

Nadir Tharani (Tanzanian, born 1952)
The Magicians’ Dance I, 2017
Signed ‘THARANI’ (lower right)
Acrylic on canvas
99 x 150 cm

Ksh 220,000-330,000
(US$ 2,000-3,000)
Bought In

Provenance: direct from the artist

This painting is part of a series called The Magicians, which have stemmed from Nadir Tharani’s contemplation of the metaphorical potential of the idea of magic. As a way to harness power, magic or ritual can be seen in both the impulses of everyday life, such as dance, as well as having been an integral part of the preparations for resistance by groups at particular points in history.

Tharani describes the iridescent forms in this painting as “magicians in the enfolding dusk, conjuring the means to change the world, or preparing themselves to challenge the status quo”.

These compositions of multiple figures are a result of Tharani’s many studies of people in motion and the arrangement of bodies in space.

Tharani studied Architecture at UCL in London whilst exploring the visual arts, including graphic and print work, at the same time. He has exhibited 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.