Strauss & Co is proud to present 'Legados Tissues: Tradition and innovation.'The online timed sale, which will open on February 2 and the closure of February 24, 2025 from 2 pm, celebrates creativity and cultural heritage by showing the evolution of artisanal crafts throughout the African continent .

The center of the auction is the exploration of an expanded definition of what 'tissue' implies.

Tissue; formed by intertwined threads that pass in one direction with others at right angles for them, intertwined to create form, a poetic union of connection, pattern and purpose

'Legados Fabor: Tradition and innovation'It highlights a wide range of materials, techniques and processes of various regions, including South, central and western Africa. These works are joined by utility, aesthetics and cultural identity. From the tactile threads of textiles to the intricate mixture of natural fibers in baskets and the sculptural forms of steel, copper, brass and accounts, the concept of tissue is reinvented as a metaphor of the connection, the narration of stories and the transfer of The tradition.

Legados Tissues: Sustainability and Empowerment

This sale includes traditional textiles such as Kuba fabrics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with a Kuba Calabah ceremonial and sheep prestige tunics, which have the weight of real importance and ancestral memory. Based on these rich traditions, 'Legados fabrics' In addition, the notion of tissue extends through the introduction of contemporary creations, including the iron doors of Conrad Hicks and exquisitely tissues of Sharon Botha tissues. Together, these works demonstrate how tissue techniques and elderly creation continue to inspire innovation today.

'Tissue legacies'Includes a significant selection of old baskets from the collection of Dr. Elizabeth Terry, a social scientist with a special interest in artisanal development. This is a historical moment that marks the first time that a collection of this nature has reached the market. The baskets, from South and Center Africa, exemplify how objects once intentioned for utilitarian purposes, such as storing food, sifting grains and transporting products, evolve beyond their original functions to become cultural artifacts and works of art.

The sale highlights shocking projects that include 'Threads of Africa', 'Tintsaba' and the 'Mapula embroidery project', which support crafts, sustainability and empowerment throughout the continent.

History through the tissue lens

The monumental installation ','Rags' It is a collaboration between Kate Otten Architects, Frances van Hasselt Mohair Studio and El Flock and appeared at the Venice Architecture Biennial of 2023. This immersive work examines the story of Johannesburg through the tissue lens, connecting the landscape and geographies social with artisanal traditions. A tailored round loom evokes the radial energy of the impact of the Veredfort Dome meteorite, which shapes the gold deposits that gave rise to Johannesburg. The use of reinterpreted gold as an African artifact instead of a mere merchandise symbolizes a recovery of cultural identity.

Throughout the sale, issues of work, tradition and resilience shine. It is already the bold and graphic patterns of the Kuba fabrics and the Adinkra fabrics of Western Africa or the animated narratives embroidered in the textiles of the Mapula embroidery project, the works represent the extraordinary ability and dedication of their creators. The tapestries of the Mapula embroidery project, in particular, stand out for their intricate storytelling. Produced by women in the areas of Winterveld and Hammanskraal in South Africa, these works capture the spirit of their communities, incorporating elements of daily life and the hopes of a better future. The thorough processes behind them highlight the role of crafts as an ancient form of human expression.