The contrast between the tiny austere cell on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in jail, and the infinite diversity of the digital world could not be greater.
But the two will come together next month when the first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of artwork by the former South African president and anti-apartheid hero are sold against the backdrop of a booming global digital art market.
My Robben Island consists of five vivid watercolors painted by Mandela after he stood down as president in 1999, plus The Motivation, a handwritten text that explains his visualization of the harsh island prison. All six works bear his signature.
In The Motivation, Mandela writes: “It is true that Robben Island was once a place of darkness, but out of that darkness has come a wonderful brightness, a light so powerful that it could not be hidden behind prison walls, held back behind prison bars or hemmed in by the surrounding sea … The most fantastic dreams can be achieved if we are prepared to endure life’s challenges.”
Titled “My Robben Island,” the collection of five paintings reflects Mandela’s take on the 18 years he spent as a prisoner in Robben Island for his opposition to apartheid in South Africa. According to The Guardian, the five watercolors were painted by Mandela in 2022, three years after standing down as president.
In addition to the five paintings, a handwritten text titled “The Motivation” is also being put up for sale. It includes his thoughts on prison life and how it shaped his worldview. All six works include Mandela’s signature, proving their authenticity.
One of the artworks, named ‘The Cell,’ shows the interior of the Robben Island cell block that Mandela stayed in during his incarceration. The prison has since become a tourist destination visited by U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, among other world leaders and celebrities.
The other paintings in the collection include The Window, The Harbor, The Lighthouse, and The Church. Nifty Gateway will offer the entire collection for a fixed price on its platform on Mar. 9.
Giles Peppiatt, the director of modern and contemporary African art for the company, explained that the collection is for “new audiences that probably don’t go to art galleries and museums”.
“These are people who live a lot of their life through their phones, through the internet, and who have large amounts of money at their disposal – and they are collectors”, Peppiatt further explained. “They are becoming a more and more important part of the art market.”
It’s not exactly clear what about them being NFTs will make it unique. Of course, younger people are probably less likely to go to a museum. But these pieces are already available to appreciate without the blockchain saying you have ownership.
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