Imvuselelo, Inkonzo, Uhambo is a photographic triptych presentation drawn from a broader visual documentation that is continuously developing. My aim is to produce a qualitative, existential record of black life.
My point of departure as a practicing documentary photographer, is informed and grounded on a view that has been widely articulated by many. Most recently by students from academic institutions across the country.
Any actions by those seeking redress of historical injustice can never be late.
Neither should they be policed or forced into conforming (during the execution of this mammoth task of new knowledge generation and production) to
standards of practice set out by the same institutions that saw no evil in the absence of black bodies over many years.
Imithetho kababa derives from Zwane's body of work which focuses on feelings of nostalgia and the process of catharsis. He is interested in how the past weaves itself into the present and how sometimes this creates a psychological barrier.
Imithetho kababa talks about a journey of a young man who
has to assume leadership without being strictly groomed for the role. He reflects on what he can remember from his father and older generation in his
family but all he can recall is them in their times of contentment/pleasure.
The story of the lion will always be told from the perspective of the hunter
until the lion learns how to write. Many parts of Africa have been victim
to this syndrome, constantly hearing their stories being told to them by
outside influences. It is vital that African artists become aware of their role
in transforming the perceptions of their own societies through the kind of
work they create. Social perceptions about Africa being a "dark continent"
that was completely void of life until the influence of colonial forces can
be countered and altered through visual art that captures the essence of what it means to be African.
The selection of participants for this project emphasizes the historical
value of the elders who were active participants and fighters against the
apartheid regime. These are real people who witnessed and experienced
the transition of an entire society towards the birth of a new nation.
These are people who have defined what it means to be a South African
today and yet their strength has never been celebrated. My aim as a
contemporary South African artist is to celebrate the undying spirit of
resilience of the truly unsung heroes of our land. These images represent
the strength that carried us through the dark days and continue to carry us
to this day.
Many people who work or live in the city
that don't have their own personal mode of transport often travel by taxi
because of the efficiency and availability. The taxi association is somewhat
built underneath the city of Johannesburg and starts to act as a form of
support structure to the city. This work starts to speak to one of the main
types of public transport that is used to its full capacity in Johannesburg as
well as its association and can be thought of as a form of infrastructure to
our beautiful city.
Through his painting, Still Life - Johannesburg, Haifeng Xuan investigates
how an artist can put the society and social issues as primary concerns in a representational still-life painting. A kind of tension between the colorful ordinary objects - flowers, fruits, cloth, plate and the somewhat possibly crime symbol - the hand gun, reveals a conflict
between the artist's inner life - as an artist pursuing aesthetic values in art works, and his social life - as a journalist and reservist police officer facing social problems every day. His painting, Still Life - Johannesburg, therefore,
also explores the iconic meaning of the ordinary objects and the concept of still-life painting.
My works do not hide the realities of the unfair perception, but symbolically
display it in relation to the liberating verdict of the human spirit. Fascinatedby man's ability to transcend 'the conceptual decay', my work seeks to
illuminate the duality of lived experiences by depicting, with an air of surreality, meditative moments of the individual, mentally cocooned from,
yet physically enveloped by life's detritus.
Appropriating discarded material I
paint detailed replications of packaging material (a layered visual metaphor signifying transience, migration, displacement), to articulate challenging social and economic circumstances that affect those on the periphery.
The exhibition runs from 23 September - 15 October 2017 at the Coen Scholtz Recreation Centre in Kempton Park.
Images and text courtesy of Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards and the City of Ekurhuleni.
Share this article:
