┐ Alastair Whitton └

© Alastair Whitton, Untitled #6, from the series Patmos and the War at Sea, 2009

© Alastair Whitton, Untitled #10, from the series Patmos and the War at Sea, 2009

© Alastair Whitton, Untitled #37, from the series Patmos and the War at Sea, 2009

“So, on the left hand side we have this multi-layered code, drawing attention perhaps to the opacity of things, the difficulty of finding meaning. On the right hand side, by contrast, we have – a photograph! In most cases the “meaning” of the photograph is clear: it “is” an aeroplane, a soldier; sometimes the observer needs to work a little harder to read the reference, but it is ultimately clear what is depicted: a fragment of the world (a world of war, or at least a world at war). The relief for the inevitably significance-hungry viewer is great, compared with the frustration prompted by the impenetrable opacity of the left hand side. But at least two things should diminish this relief: firstly, the awareness that the photograph has been formally manipulated: even if any photograph can be taken as a scarcely-unmediated bit of access to the meaning of the world, these fragments cannot: in all their apparent iconographic simplicity they are perhaps as deceiving as the “image” on the left hand side which we know has been painstakingly and deliberately constructed with an intention to conceal. But also, that little sequence of holes should have reminded us that everything is suspectible to interpretation (or to decoding if one accepts that there is an ultimate meaning, which probably this artist does, given his proclaimed religious orientation); the bit of “reality” depicted is not artless.”

excerpt from Tim James’ review

Patmos and the War at Sea can be seen here

┐ Tjorven Bruyneel └

© Tjorven Bruyneel, Untitled, from the series I’ll be your mirror, 2010

© Tjorven Bruyneel, Untitled, from the series I’ll be your mirror, 2010

“Living in a Western society where virtually all taboos have fallen. Everything has been done, seen, admired, abhorred, nothing remains that can shock.

But are we really that free?

“I’ll be your mirror” became a social depiction of a taboo conflict that is considered as nonexistent in the artistic community. It reflects on how characters in my life experience their own bodies. Every person is linked to a cultural history, and his or her body is scarred by that. Their story carrying bodies voice the answer to my ever returning question:

Will you pose nude for me on photograph?

Come, please undress …
Let me see you,
Through your eyes.”

 

More of Tjorven’s work here

║ Hasan & Husain Essop ║

© Hasan & Husain Essop, Feeding Scheme, from the series Halaal Art, 2009

© Hasan & Husain Essop, Cape Town (South Africa), from the series Halaal Art, 2009

“Our work questions global and local hegemonies. We explore the influence of Western popular culture and the distorting effects it has on existing religions and cultures. Internal conflicts are expressed through performance.

Most importantly, our work originates from a history that is confined to a specific area, a faith that is universally shared and a critical understanding of the media and modern technology.

As twin brothers we share an identity, a personality and a family. This unique bond that we share enables us to confront and address similarities and differences within a personal and a global context and open up debate around religious, cultural and social correspondences and conflicts.’ (August 2008)

On using their own image in their works: ‘This is our experience. We don’t want to make an objective statement. We don’t want to put words in other people’s mouths. This is how we see the clash between east and west, which exists simultaneously in our bodies. It’s our struggle’. (Hasan Essop, in conversation with Yazeed Kamaldien)”

More of Hasan & Hussain’s work can be seen here

║ Lien Botha ║

© Lien Botha, Inside the House the Mother did not Build, from the series White Stick for the Artic, 2008

© Lien Botha, Border Crossing, from the series White Stick for the Artic, 2008

“In the series, White stick for the Arctic, the female body — which one assumes is her own — is masked in each image. Sometimes it has the head of an animal, sometimes it is covered with a lace cloth (or shroud?).
This enigmatic figure is placed in otherworldly landscapes caught between the states of dreaming and waking. The narratives of each piece are unfathomable, but intriguing.
Environmental degradation, loss of the individual and the passage of time are threads which link them in a strange, melancholic universe, which harks back to the unexpected juxtapositions of surrealist artists.
If photos could wail, these would do it.”
Carol Brown

To see more of Lien’s work click here

║ Mikhael Subotzky (South Africa – part V) ║

© Mikhael Subotzky, The Mallies Family, Rustdene Township, Beaufort West, 2006

© Mikhael Subotzky, Residents, Vaalkoppies (Beaufort West Rubbish Dump), 2006

to view more of his work click here

║ David Goldblatt (South Africa – part IV) ║

© David Goldblatt, Interior of the foreman’s house, Sonop, Winburg, Free State, 24 August 1986
Intersections Intersected series

© David Goldblatt, Galvanised ironware for sale, Strubensvalley, Johannesburg, 8 May 2004
Intersections Intersected series

to view more about this work click here

║ Zanele Muholi (South Africa – part III) ║

© Zanele Muholi, Being series, 2007

© Zanele Muholi, Being series, 2007

to view more about this work click here

║ Pieter Hugo (South Africa – part II) ║

© Pieter Hugo, Rose Brand’s doll collection, 2006
Messina/Musina series

© Pieter Hugo, Jan, Martie, Kayala, Florence and Basil Meyer in their home, 2006
Messina/Musina series

“Musina is the northern-most town in South Africa. It lies on the Limpopo River on the border of Zimbabwe. The town was formerly known as Messina, and in 2002 its name was changed to correct a colonial misspelling of the name of the Musina people who previously lived in the region.Located in the heart of the bushveld with its hunting farms and diamond mine, on the major trucking route north, it attracts a conglomeration of disparate peoples. They are drawn to this town by the opportunities it offers, be it working in the mines or on the farms, policing the porous border, smuggling contraband and alien immigrants, or prostitution.In his photographs of individuals, families, interiors, landscapes and incidental details, Hugo reflects on the wounds and scars of race, class and nationality that persist here, on the border of Zimbabwe, a country in the process of self-destructing. The circumstances of Musina can also be seen as broadly reflective of any community that is confronted by transition.”

to view full series click here

to read an interview about this work click here

║ Guy Tillim (South Africa – part I) ║

© Guy Tillim, Noverna Court, Paul Nel Street, Hillbrow, 2004
Jo’burg series

© Guy Tillim, Nomasanto’s room, Jeanwell House, Nugget Street, 2004
Jo’burg series

White residents fled Johannesburg’s inner city in the 1990s. The removal of the Group Areas Act foreshadowed a flow into the city of black residents and owners of small businesses seeking opportunities and better lives. Former denizens looked back in self-righteous justification at a city that was given over to plunder and mayhem. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, backed up by eyewitness reports and statistics. Everyone had their horror stories. (…)

The relationship between tenants and owners or their agents deteriorated with disputes over the state of the buildings, and in some cases resulted in unpaid rents and dues. The buildings started looking like fire hazards, and the City Council began closing on them for unpaid utilities.In between the needs of City Council and the aspirations of developers anticipating the bloom of an African city lies the fate of Jo’burg’s residents. The outcome will decide whether or not Johannesburg becomes, again, a city of exclusion.

Guy Tillim