Shadow boxing statue is unveiled
JOBURG - The precinct of Chancellor House in the Westgate district of Johannesburg have been spruced up.
The City of Johannesburg embarked on a beautification project which included properties, pavements and walkways.
Chancellor House, which used to house the law firm of former President Nelson Mandela and his colleague ANC president Oliver Tambo, directly opposite the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, has undergone a major facelift and will be turned into a museum to house the legal history of both men and their political careers.
One of the outstanding projects in the precinct is the erection of a giant Shadow Boxer statue of Mandela, which was sculpted by referencing a photograph taken by iconic photographer in the 1950s, the late Bob Gosani, then working for Drum magazine.
The statue faces Chancellor House and can be seen from the adjacent Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, where Mandela and Tambo defended their clients.
Unveiling the R500 000 statue sculptured by artist Marco Cianfanelli, Mayor of Johannesburg Mpho Parks Tau said Mandela’s admiration of boxing as a sport was based on the science and tactics of ducking and diving punches from an opponent, and protecting one’s body and limbs at the same time.
“We are still faced with the challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, and a city whose spatial form still resembles the architecture of apartheid masters. Ours is to transform this city to our hearts desire, enacting elements that talk to livability while making it distinct from the city that Nelson Mandela stayed in when that photograph was taken six decades ago,” Tau said.
The unveiling of the Shadow Boxing artwork, which was witnessed by Gosani’s wife, Tilly and their two daughters, Debbie and Jacky, celebrates the role that Mandela played in the area, his enjoyment of boxing as a sport and the parallels with his battle against apartheid.
Lighting will be a key part of the installation, and at night the five to six metre tall sculpture made from painted mild steel will cast a shadow onto the magistrate’s court, making Mandela’s presence felt in the corridors of law and justice.
“The artwork depicts our past and resembles the area of Chancellor House and the magistrate’s court ,while at the same time symbolises the significant role played by Mandela and Tambo, not just in the corridors of justice inside the courts, but in their other political fight against apartheid and its manifestations. This is part of the wider regeneration programme of the city’s public spaces,” Tau said.
