Self-portrait after Gustav Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer I

This artwork by the South African artist, Amita Makan (b. 1967) is a self-portrait done in 2013 after Gustav Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer (1907), which is one of Klimt’s most famous artworks. This self-portrait of Makan, after Gustav Klimt Adele Bloch-Bauer I is translucent and can be viewed from both the front and the back. Makan is a descendant of Indian migrants who arrived in South Africa during British colonial rule. She uses the cobbler stitch, a method of stitching she inherited from her Indian Gujarati ancestors from the Mochi caste who were known cobblers in their trade. The women from the Gujarati are also celebrated for their embroidery, a craft that Makan inherited and explores within her work. Makan makes use of materials such as silk, sequins, crystals, vintage saris and ribbons, which are embroidered onto shimmering fabrics such as organza or other netted fabrics. Makan makes use of this craft to create personal narratives within her work, as a means to explore notions of the past and the present. She creates artworks that highlight historical and contemporary contexts within South Africa. She features themes of globalization, migration and also the deterioration of the environment are embedded within her artistic narratives. However, notions of ancient Hindu and Buddhist philosophies and scriptures are also immersed in her work, as these become lenses through which she views and narrates her environment. Makan’s self-portraits explore her Indian ancestral roots and identity within the materiality and the physical making of the work. Short Biography: Amita Makan was born in 1967 in South End of the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. She studied English and Political Science and obtained a Masters degree in International Relations at the Rhodes University in 1993. She worked as a policy researcher at the University of Cape Town and the Human Sciences Research Council in Pretoria. In 1994 she was awarded a British Council Scholarship to study Gender Policy and Planning at the University College London in the United Kingdom.She resided in Geneva, Switzerland between 1998 and 2002 and, during this time, obtained a Cambridge Diploma in French and worked and studied at an art studio in Geneva. On her return to South Africa, Amita completed the first year of the BA Fine Arts Degree at the University of Pretoria in 2003, and followed up with additional art courses until 2014. In 2009, she received the 'Runner Up' Award in the South African SASOL New Signatures National Art Competition. In 2010 she attended an Artist Residence Program at the Centre for World exposition of Arts and Culture (CEWAC) at the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India. In 2014, she was awarded a residency at Cité International des Arts in Paris, France. Also in 2014, Amita was a nominee for the Mbokodo Awards sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture and Proudly South African and under the leadership of Professor Pitika Ntuli. Amita was one of ten South African artists invited by the Office of Premier of KwaZulu-Natal in 2016 to submit a concept for the 1860 Indian Indentured Labour Memorial Public Artist Commission competition. Amita was based in Geneva, Switzerland from October 2014 to December 2018. She currently resides in Pretoria, South Africa. She has held several solo exhibitions in South Africa and her works are found in notable collections such as the Robert Sobukwe Museum and Learning Centre, South African National Art Bank, Luciano Benetton Collection, Italy, the University of Pretoria, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, University of South Africa (UNISA), Dr Miriam Makeba Concert Hall, UNISA, The South African Reserve Bank, the International Convention Centre (Durban) and the Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad India.