Paul Onditi (Kenyan, born 1980)
Half Life, 2013
signed ‘Wudg’ (bottom right)
mixed media on synthetic sheet
138 x 122cm
Ksh 275,000–300,000
US$ 3,125–3,410
Sold Ksh 704,400
Provenance: Direct from artist
Onditi’s work examines the cyclical nature of human experience and behaviour, encapsulated in the oft touted expression ‘what goes around, comes around’. Typically his work depicts a lonely character called ‘Smokey’ who represents a blank state of mind. The artist works in muted hues using a reductive technique to navigate what he refers to as the dilemma of the human condition.
Onditi has exhibited both in Kenya and internationally including the exhibition ‘Ernst and Young Action’ at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt, 2010. ‘Half Life’ depicts a botched robbery ordeal and contains defaced Kenyan currency.
The work was inspired by the successful Kenyan film, ‘Nairobi Half Life’. It is one of a pair with the other sold in May 2013 at the Bonhams Charity Auction.