Durant Sihlali, b. 1935Graffiti Signatures, 1997-98
Cotton rag
99-1-1, museum purchase
To create the color motifs in this work, the artist applied dyed paper pulp with a brush or tool, then pressed the pulp with a roller onto the surface of handmade paper. The work echoes graffiti scripts found on urban walls in South Africa. Graffiti Signatures presents layers of marks, circles, and Xs. For Sihlali, such walls chronicle the history of the people of the areas where they are found--linking the past and the present.