Two Antelopes 1999

Rosemary Karuga made this collage of two antelopes using found paper, probably any old thing she had around. The way she's built up the forms from irregular fragments, it's like she's thinking through the antelope-ness of these creatures. The shapes combine to suggest their musculature and character, but it's also all about the surface, the torn edges, the contrasts of color. I love how the yellow in the antelopes really sings against that decorative background. The antelopes become these noble forms, built from simple materials. It kind of reminds me of Matisse's cut-outs in its balance of simplicity and sophistication. And just like Matisse, Karuga shows us that real art can come from everyday materials.