Title: Turkana
Unframed: 120000 – 130000
Turkana Boy is the common name for KNM-WT 15000, the nearly complete skeleton of a 12-year-old (or possibly 9-year-old) Homo erectus who died 1.6 million years ago. It was discovered by Kamoya Kimeu, a member of Richard Leakeys’ palaeontological expedition to Lake Rudolf (now known as Lake Turkana) in 1984.
In this re-visioning, the African child is shown as a vellum mannequin prior to being subjected to a process of taphonomy (being cast in metal). The project that gave rise to many of the works on exhibition and referred to in this publication, is centered on the historical stratification and hybridity of a post-colonial landscape—the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng, South Africa. Information was provided by the artist.
