The contrast between Nelson Mandela’s small basic cell on Robben Island, where he spent 18 of his 27 years in prison, and the digital world’s endless diversity could not be greater.
However, the two will collide next month when the first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of artwork by the former South African president and anti-apartheid hero are sold amid a booming worldwide digital art market.
My Robben Island is made up of five vibrant watercolors created by Mandela after he stepped down as president in 1999, as well as The Motivation, a handwritten text explaining his vision of the harsh island jail. His autograph may be found on all six pieces.
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.”
The former president’s daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, described her father’s watercolors as “the victory of the human spirit.”
She said: “When my dad was on the island, he was surrounded by gray. Remember, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He never thought he would walk out of prison. But the paintings say we should never despair.”
Offering the artworks as NFTs was a way of reaching new audiences, she added. “My dad was all about creating an accessible society. This is a way of democratizing his art.”
Digital art attracted “new audiences that probably don’t go to art galleries and museums,” according to Giles Peppiatt, director of modern and contemporary African art at Bonhams, which is selling the NFTs. “These are people who spend a lot of time on their phones, on the internet, and who have a lot of money at their disposal – and they’re collectors.” “They’re becoming a bigger and bigger component of the art market,” he explained.
In recent years, sales of NFTs have soared, fueled by youthful investors who have made fortunes from cryptocurrencies and other technology. Mike Winkelmann, the digital artist known as Beeple, sold an NFT named Everydays: the First 5,000 Days for a record $69 million in March 2021.
On March 9th, Bonhams will offer My Robben Island on the Nifty Gateway platform for a six-hour period at a fixed price of $3,495 for the edition, or $699 for a single work. There is no specific number for sale, although there is an upper limit of $10,000. “The edition is however many sold in that six-hour span,” Peppiatt explained.
The watercolours were “quite good, somewhat sad and heartbreaking,” according to the watercolours, which were produced in 2002 as a therapeutic exercise under the tutelage of art teacher Varenka Paschke. Peppiatt added, “You couldn’t obtain more personal photographs.”
The Cell represents the interior of Mandela’s cell during his time on Robben Island. It has become a pilgrimage site, with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton among those who have visited. The meagre belongings of Nelson Mandela are heaped beneath the window.
Through vibrant orange bars, the Window portrays the shape of Table Mountain. When new detainees came by boat, the first thing they saw was the prison’s harbour. The Lighthouse and The Church, both of which were off-limits to convicts, were island landmarks.
“Robben Island is a place where courage endured in the face of endless hardship, a place where people kept on believing when it seemed their dreams were hopeless,” wrote Mandela in The Motivation.
Makaziwe Mandela expressed her desire that some of the proceeds from the NFT sale will go toward the creation of a memorial garden in Qunu, where her father is buried. “Hopefully, before I close my eyes, we’ll be able to finish the garden,” she remarked.