Jaco Sieberhagen: Coffle I - SOLD
Jaco Sieberhagen
Coffle I – 2008
Painted mild steel – edition 6/7
Height: 30,5 cm
Stamped with initials and edition number
Sold - 2009
Born Jacobus Johannes Sieberhagen, 25 January 1961, Victoria West
In his quest to address a universal audience, Jaco Sieberhagen juxtaposes contemporary socio-political issues with parallels in history. His sculptures do not offer conclusions, but rather ask questions – he questions man’s sacrificial pursuit of progress and materialism, as well as his violent attempts at dominating nature and his fellow man.
In the ‘Coffle’ series, Sieberhagen grapples with James Baldwin’s statement: People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people. By using the haunting imagery of the slave trade as a reference, he comments on how modern man not only enslaves others, but also enslaves himself.
Sieberhagen’s refreshing but serious approach to contemporary issues illustrates and communicates the consequences of our actions towards Man and Nature, and the responsibilities that lie with each of us. In the final analysis, all of us, collectively and individually, are defined by where we are going, not by where we are now. The outcome of our collective future has us tied together like slaves in a coffle – this irreversible position can be our strength in unity or our demise in conflict.
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To view the artist’s CV click here