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Walter Battis

South African

1906-1982

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  1. Yellow head with birds by Walter Battis, Image 3.

    Walter Battis

    Yellow head with birds

    Colour screenprint on paper

    10.63 x 8.86 in

Walter Battis, whose work draws on his interest in archaeology, prehistory, and African rock art, has earned a reputation as one of South Africa’s most celebrated abstract painters. Unlike many South African artists, Battiss did not study overseas but instead researched the artistic traditions of local Indigenous peoples; he later traveled to Greece, the Seychelles, Madagascar, Fiji, and other islands around the world. In the 1970s, Battiss created his imaginary “Fook Island,” a utopia that fused elements of the islands he visited. Battiss conceptualized an entire society located on the make-believe island, including maps, sketches of inhabitants, taxonomies of local plants, and even currency, stamps, and driver’s licenses, which he created and exhibited with other African artists. Although not intended as a straightforward political statement, Fook Island can be interpreted as an alternate reality compared to South Africa’s apartheid state.
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