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Lot Essay
Serge Alain Nitegeka delves into the depths of abstraction. A refugee himself, having fled the Rwandan genocide for Johannesburg, his work examines displacement and forced migration. Working almost exclusively with blocks of primary colours or, more frequently, monochrome and exposed plywood or woodchip, there is a deeply utilitarian approach to Nitegeka’s choice of materials. His geometric compositions are displayed in conjunction with his large scale installations, which create something akin to an obstacle course: the viewer is forced to duck and weave their way through the invasive, impassable girders, offering a metaphor for the experience of migration.
There is a distinctly Constructivist vein to his style which, through its austere abstraction, reflects a modern industrialised society. However, where Constructivism celebrated industry and proletarian values, Nitegeka’s work critiques these man-made structures, and their associated checks, balances and limits to free movement. The structures in Nitegeka’s work are imposing, and require negotiation.
Obstacle 1: Studio Study V may be understood in these terms: the obstructions, although imposing, can be also be worked around. Nitegeka represented South Africa at the 2015 Venice Biennale as well as receiving the Jean Paul Blachère Prize at the Dakar Biennale in 2010. He received the VILLA Extraordinary Award for Sculpture from the Claire & Edoardo Villa Will Trust. He opened a solo exhibition at Stevenson in Amsterdam in April 2022. Nitegeka is represented by Stevenson, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Amsterdam, as well as Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York.
There is a distinctly Constructivist vein to his style which, through its austere abstraction, reflects a modern industrialised society. However, where Constructivism celebrated industry and proletarian values, Nitegeka’s work critiques these man-made structures, and their associated checks, balances and limits to free movement. The structures in Nitegeka’s work are imposing, and require negotiation.
Obstacle 1: Studio Study V may be understood in these terms: the obstructions, although imposing, can be also be worked around. Nitegeka represented South Africa at the 2015 Venice Biennale as well as receiving the Jean Paul Blachère Prize at the Dakar Biennale in 2010. He received the VILLA Extraordinary Award for Sculpture from the Claire & Edoardo Villa Will Trust. He opened a solo exhibition at Stevenson in Amsterdam in April 2022. Nitegeka is represented by Stevenson, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Amsterdam, as well as Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York.