Skepta is set to sell his debut painting as part of an auction he’s co-curated for Sotheby’s’ Contemporary Curated series. The painting, titled Mama Goes to Market, will be exhibited at Sotheby’s’ New Bond Street galleries later this week, before being auctioned off as part of a lot featuring pieces by Omar Ba, Theaster Gates and Ouattara Watts, among others.
Nine of the works being sold as part of this year’s Contemporary Curated lot were handpicked by Skepta; the London rapper chose each piece because “they all had an African feeling about them”. “Whether they were created by African artists or not, they all share in this essence,” he said in a statement. “In one way or another, they triggered powerful dialogues with my painting too.” Notable pieces chosen by Skepta include Simon Helps, a 1986 painting by Sir Frank Bowling, and Addicktion, a portrait by British-Ghanaian painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
