IMAGES OF DEMOCRACY: PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL ART AFTER APARTHEID
MEDIA RELEASE (Translated with ChatGPT)
IMAGES OF DEMOCRACY: PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL ART AFTER APARTHEID
The exhibition Images of Democracy: Photography and Visual Art After Apartheid presents photographs and video works by twelve contemporary South African artists. These artists actively participate in the arduous task of building their democratic nation, contributing as creators of contemporary art, South African visual traditions, identity, origins, personal and collective memory, and history.
In April 1994, South Africa held its first free and democratic elections. For the first time, citizens of all races were allowed to cast their votes. Apartheid, which had officially come into power in 1948 following a long history of oppression and conflict, came to an end. However, the process of democratization that enabled these elections was far from complete when the votes were counted. This complex process was only recently documented in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The exhibition, curated by South African curator Rory Bester and Katarina Pierre from BildMuseet in Umeå, takes this revolutionary transformation as its starting point. The participating artists are witnesses and contributors to this contemporary moment.
A central theme of the exhibition is documentary photography, which during the apartheid era, especially in journalism and documentary practices, was a promising medium of expression. The technical style of the South African artists does not differ significantly from that of, for instance, Swedish artists, and many of the themes explored are familiar worldwide. However, the works in this exhibition carry a profoundly specific content, offering studies and documentation of a changing South Africa. The artists’ interpretations are rooted in personal and collective experiences of involvement.
All the works in the exhibition were created after South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. The aim has been to examine history and the present in relation to South African contemporary art, exploring what has happened to documentary photography post-apartheid and analyzing the connections between art and society, as well as art and the individual.
Images of Democracy could be compared to a visual historiographical project, which, like all important historical narratives, establishes connections with the present. The artworks draw from both private and public archives. For example, in her video installation Lovely Day, Penny Siopis uses amateur films made by her mother in the mid-20th century. Through Siopis’ poetic direction, the experiences of different generations are interwoven. The protagonist is Siopis’ grandmother, originally from Greece. In Siopis’ world, private life conveys something about public life—in other words, personal experiences become political. The artist notes that in South Africa, subjectivity is often at risk of being overshadowed by the pressure to focus on “important issues.”
During apartheid, many stories remained untold. Strict censorship influenced what could or could not be expressed and shown. Yet silence had other causes too. After the fight against an oppressive regime, certain kinds of stories had no space—even in artistic expression. Photographer Santu Mofokeng, whose works have a strong historical dimension, addresses this idea. In his slide installation Black Photo Album / Look at Me: 1890-1950, Mofokeng reconstructs the history of anonymous individuals by showcasing old family photographs. These images depict Black South Africans dressed in the fashion of white settlers. Initially, Mofokeng found it difficult to discuss the photos, and no one was interested in the project, which is still ongoing. Despite the fact that the individuals in these photos challenged colonial racism through their clothing and lifestyle, they were not accepted as representatives of bourgeois aspirations. This attitude is now changing.
Unsurprisingly, the exhibition revolves around questions of identity. In a country where, for decades, laws required individuals to be registered and ranked based on race, identity remains central to understanding and representation. In her video installations, Tracey Rose explores processes that shape meaning, while photographer Cedric Nunn, emphasizing the importance of subjectivity, examines what it means to be classified as “colored” in his series Blood Relatives. Nunn often photographs his own family, addressing themes he could only recently begin exploring. His traditionally composed black-and-white documentary photography does not loudly campaign but subtly reveals conditions, relationships, and spaces where closeness and distance coexist.
Another significant aspect of the exhibition is its relationship with physical spaces, which apartheid policies profoundly altered and controlled. Photographer Ruth Motau draws attention to inexpensive bars known as shebeens. These informal establishments, significant in the everyday life of her culture, are often invisible to outsiders. In contrast, Zwelethu Mthethwa’s vibrant photographs capture the interiors of homes in Black townships outside Cape Town, while Kay Hassan’s dynamic installation reflects an ever-changing urban landscape. The city, now open to everyone, becomes a space where people arrive carrying bundles filled with belongings and histories.
Images of Democracy is rich in nuance and demonstrates a remarkable level of commitment. It raises numerous questions and, in some cases, provides answers—without moral preaching. The exhibition is, in the most positive sense, a place for learning.
Exhibition Producer: BildMuseet, Umeå
Curator: Rory Bester, in collaboration with BildMuseet
Acknowledgments: Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Stockholm.