The Ghost of Neto, 2023
bronze, plywood, velvet, wool padding
installation images, Ritchie quad, Hiddingh Campus, University of Cape Town, June 2023
in late 2022, the glasses of one of the busts of Agostinho Neto, founding president of Angola, were stolen in Gabela, Kwanza Sul, Angola. they were initially sold for Akz300 ($0,69*). when interviewed, the suspect claimed that he was not aware of the value of the bronze glasses. (see video)
through the observation of this event, this installation studies the transformation of the figure of the icon throughout the history of the country, since independence into the contemporary.
it is henceforth a reference to his recurrent apparition in internet meme culture in the last couple of years. through close observation of the busts of Neto and through its absence in this piece, this work is an interrogation on material value, along with the elevation of the figure built around Neto and the repressive regime he pioneered.
was this defacing of leader pure vandalism or was it a reflection of the living conditions under the regime Neto set the blueprint for?
*exchange rate from around the time of the incident