PEBOFATSO MOKOENA FEATURED IN MUNICH RE OF AFRICA COLLECTION
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Latitudes is thrilled to share with you our latest collaboration between Munich Re of Africa, Waldman Studios, David Krut Projects and artist, Pebofatso Mokoena. By supporting mid-career, local artists such as Mokoena, Munich Re of Africa continues its ethos of supporting diverse forms of local artistic expression, at grass-roots level. Munich Re of Africa is a subsidiary of Munich Re AG, with headquarters in Munich, Germany.
The large scale artwork, currently on loan to Munich Re of Africa, sees two mixed media drawings by Pebofatso Mokoena, Unfamiliar Heartbreak and Rainbow Tunnels, reimagined through an interplay with mirrors.
Pebofatso Mokoena was born in Alberton in 1993. His work has received early recognition and is on display in numerous private collections.
Central to the South African painter and printmaker's practice is a fascination with space, energy and movement. Mokoena’s interest lies in the entangled organisations of how organic and man-made geographies shape multiple environments. Through interdisciplinary practices, Mokoena uses his own personal narratives and a consistent application of experimental enquiry as tools to make sense of the chaotic integratedness of the current world he lives in.
This reflective artwork is a collaboration between the artist, master printmaker David Krut, Waldman Studios and Latitudes Online, the largest online marketplace for art from Africa. The artwork is given a new interpretation by combining it with a mirrored surface, thus inviting the viewer to enter the collective consciousness of Mokoena's imagined world and move between two paradigms in an almost out-of-body experience.
About Munich Re Group
Works of art accompany Munich Re staff, clients and guests not only in corridors, foyers, conference rooms, offices and meeting points, but even in stairwells and underground passages in Munich. Current artistic positions and themes of contemporary art are displayed in temporary exhibitions. The Munich Re Art Collection comprises more than 3,000 works by international artists – from paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures, all the way to architectural installations.
It is Munich Re’s intention and motivation to integrate the diversity of forms of artistic expression into the work environment. The collection is constantly being expanded with contemporary artworks, including, in particular, works by young contemporary artists.
The beginnings
It all began in 1912/13 with the construction of the Main Building at Königinstrasse in Munich. Besides having a keen instinct for insurance, Carl von Thieme, the founder of Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft (Munich Re), also had an equally sophisticated taste for the art of his time. Thieme commissioned artists from the region to create works for the new company’s headquarters. To this day, the roughly 20 sqm fresco by Reinhold Max Eichler depicting the dramatically staged Kampf der Elemente (Battle of the Elements) still makes an impact in the staircase leading from the entrance area.
With Munich Re’s development into a globally operating Group, the art has also become more international. Without setting any specific thematic or formal focus, since the mid-1990s the Munich Re Art Collection’s approach to collecting has followed the current trends in international contemporary art.
Art and architecture
For Munich Re, the link between art and architecture is of great importance and a key component of the collection profile – and not only in its early days. As the Company grew, new possibilities for dialogue between art and architecture continually opened up. To date, more than 60 site-specific artworks have been created.
Further Reading In Articles
African Artist Directory