As the pre-sale now open, the first 5 prints are available at a preferential price with priority access to the lowest edition numbers.

This artist edition consists of a series of prints in which each block is precisely laser-cut and printed on black paper, allowing both the grain of the wood and the spaces between the pieces to shape the composition actively. Nkosi draws on a deep nostalgia for the medium, recalling its use in South African political resistance graphic work and the woodcut prints in her childhood home, while the process itself introduces new formal possibilities: the black paper becomes a surface in dialogue with the woodcut, with shadows and gaps subtly animating the image.

The image depicts a group of relay runners on an athletics track. In a relay race, the “anchor” runs the final leg, often the strongest or fastest member of the team, yet Nkosi leaves this role open. The figures appear as a collective, finding stability or support in relation to one another, their “anchor”.

The edition features three variations, each exploring a different composition of the cut blocks. The Meranti and Red Oak woods, unconventional for woodcut, contribute subtle textures and tonalities. Each variation experiments with negative space, abstraction, and the natural characteristics of the material, resulting in prints that are tactile and rich in layered meaning. Anchor (Reprise) is an exploration of collaboration, process, and composition of interconnected forms.

Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi (b.1980, South African-American; lives and works in Johannesburg) is internationally recognized for her work investigates the lived consequences of imperial histories and the personal dimensions of political identities, collectivity, and futurity among other concepts.

C& ARTISTS’ EDITIONS is a program of specially commissioned editions by collaborating artists who have been part of the C& network since its launch in 2013. C& Artists’ Editions offers an accessible, collectible portfolio of works by younger and older generations of artists from Africa and the global Diaspora. All proceeds directly support the artists and C&’s future program.