Karel Nel
Blueprint of the Table House
1995
Pastel and pigment on bonded fiber fabric
96-31-2, museum purchase
Karel Nel has created a number of compositions inspired by Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president (199499) who asserted that a table to eat at and a roof over one's head were fundamental human needs. While the house serves as a place of nurture, it also alludes to the complex and tortured history of Robben Island--a site 12 kilometers off the coast of Cape Town that was used variously as a refuge, infirmary and military base and now houses a museum and archives. Robben Island is perhaps best known as a prison for political figures, including Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned there from 1964 to 1990 for opposing apartheid, the minority white government's policy of racial separation. In this work, an image of Robben Island floats vertically within the house's translucent walls.
Blueprint of the Table House
1995
Pastel and pigment on bonded fiber fabric
96-31-2, museum purchase
Karel Nel has created a number of compositions inspired by Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president (199499) who asserted that a table to eat at and a roof over one's head were fundamental human needs. While the house serves as a place of nurture, it also alludes to the complex and tortured history of Robben Island--a site 12 kilometers off the coast of Cape Town that was used variously as a refuge, infirmary and military base and now houses a museum and archives. Robben Island is perhaps best known as a prison for political figures, including Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned there from 1964 to 1990 for opposing apartheid, the minority white government's policy of racial separation. In this work, an image of Robben Island floats vertically within the house's translucent walls.