Checking for pests on ‘Potent Fields’ by Karel Nel

4,803 views · Published 30 December 2016 · 4:00 · Indexed 10 October 2026

Channel: The British Museum · 2016 · Education

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How are contemporary works of art looked after at the Museum? See how Karel Nel’s ‘Potent Fields’ was prepared for our #SouthAfricanArt exhibition.

The artwork is made using ochre, a natural pigment found in the earth. It is inspired by the discovery of 77,000-year-old engraved ochre in Blombos Cave on the southern coast of South Africa. The pigment alludes to the long history of art in South Africa, but also the colour division of apartheid. The work also acknowledges the potential for a colour balance in post-apartheid South Africa.

You can buy your tickets for the exhibition here: http://ow.ly/JWSy305MKUS

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