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State Capture Chess set makes national news - Local artist Darren Aiken in the spotlight

State Capture Chess set makes national news - Local artist Darren Aiken in the spotlight

Author: Kasia Yoko
Date: 2019-02-22

Local artist, a dear friend and golf buddy of mine, has recently come under the spotlight through his controversial 'State Capture' chess set, which he custom made for former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi. Last month Agrizzi mentioned to a national newspaper that one of his prized possessions is a state capture-themed chess set, sculpted by local artist Darren Aiken.

It was on the Selborne Golf Course last week that Darren told me about his very controversial client, "Angelo has been my client for many years, he has been a collector of my art and a real patron of my work." Darren told me.

"I am an artist and I have been creating chess sets for years." Darren told me on the 3rd hole as we approached the green. "I love the publicity around the chess set but to be honest, I don't give a F@$% about politics."

Agrizzi commissioned the set from Darren about 18 months ago, around the time he was leaving Bosasa. At that time there were no scandals and even though everyone was aware of the magnitude of corruption, no one could predict the extent of the exploitation.

Darren began by sculpting the new South African government and its leaders on one side, with the old government on the other, while including figures such as Evita Bezuidenhout of Bapetikosweti, a fictional homeland during the apartheid years, created by satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys.

Darren's Agrizzi is sculpted wearing Ferrari colours and "blowing a whistle", suggesting that he'd been meaning to expose the goings-on at Bosasa for some time.

Characters in his chess set include Jacob Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa, Julius Malema, the Gupta brothers, Shaun Abrahams, Bathabile Dlamini, Mcebisi Jonas, Thuli Madonsela, Vytjie Mentor, Pravin Gordhan, and more. The pawns on either side are represented, respectively, by either briefcases featuring the names of people who were allegedly captured, and IEC voting boxes on the other side symbolising that the battle of state capture is about democracy versus corruption.

In 2012, Darren also created a chess set for then president Jacob Zuma, who is a major chess enthusiast, which was paid for by Bosasa as a gift.

If you want to order your own chess set at R15000 email Darren on thehoozoo@gmail.com.