The Raft of False Hope - ON LOAN

Richard Mudariki (b 1985)
The Raft of False Hope - 2012
Acrylic on canvas
80 x 138 cm
Signed and dated bottom right
On Loan

‘The Raft of False Hope’ is inspired by Théodore Géricault’s 1818 French Romantic masterpiece, ‘The Raft of the Medusa’ (Le Radeau de la Méduse). The original depicts a scene from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of today’s Mauritania in 1816. Approximately 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. Similar to the message and theme of the original painting, ‘The Raft of False Hope’ makes a political and social statement about desertion in times of need. The raft is motionless as the horses walk away. Those on it reach out for them, but without hope. They do not move forward. Some die. The horses represent those who abandon a society which is desperate for assistance. Two parents lift up their child to see ahead. But is there hope, even for the young, with the widening gap between the rich and poor in our society?