Collar 3

Egg cartons, tinted silicone, waxed thread, palm seeds and bag
140 x 56 x 69 cm

Most of Wallen Mapondera’s work is made up of recycled materials, waste that the artist encounters in his daily life and which, for him, carries meaning and narratives: “The trash is charged with energy from its previous use and the urgency to make art is what drives me towards picking up a particular object”.^[1] With the sculpture Collar 3, Mapondera continues his plastic and symbolic exploration of egg cartons – which he collects from small shops and which have been regularly incorporated into his works since 2020. These elements, just like the palm seeds covered in white plastic bags – which visually evoke eggs at the base of the work – have an important meaning for the artist. To him, “an egg symbolizes life, a beginning or the birth of something new (…) All concepts are eggs waiting to be fertilized or brought to life.” ^[2] Collar 3 is both to be seen as a necklace and a suit of armour, echoing both the carapace of the cardboard containers used and the artist’s family cocoon. The work seems to emanate ambivalent feelings: of protection and strength, but also of precariousness and fragility.

^[1] “An interview with Ludovic Delalande” in Wallen Mapondera, ed. Smac Gallery, 2022, p. 131

^[2] “An interview with Ludovic Delalande” in Wallen Mapondera, ed. Smac Gallery, 2022, p. 130