The eye of the beholder

During the struggle for South Africa’s liberation, photography established itself as an ideological tool to resist and undermine popularised propaganda in the censored mainstream.

In a fortified resistance against the hegemonic visual discourse meant to support apartheid, the likes of Alf Khumalo, Peter Magubane, Ernest Cole, Ruth Seopedi Motau, Omar Badsha, Santu Mofokeng, and David Goldblatt did more than contribute toward realising a democratic South Africa — their work also set a precedent of subversion, representation, and awareness for a new generation of artists such as Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose and Lindokuhle Sobekwa.

With a methodology that considers photorealism, fluid temporality, and speculative fiction, Nyawose’s body of work — “eBhish’” — shows what perception rooted in care can look like. Sobekwa’s practice uses the camera, installation, and performance to contemplate the present state of the country. Imbued with time, attention, feedback, and collaboration with the people he photographs, the artist encourages the viewer to put a pause on passive perception.

Then, in a bridge between these generations, Sir Zanele Muholi’s visual activism, in the medium of documentary and performance photography, has ensured that South Africa has a queer visual history that continues to offset the stigma attached to queer identity in contemporary African societies. Beyond the impact that these and other prominent artists have had with the medium, there is also the case of what we have seen photography do for young artists through mentorship initiatives such as Of Soul & Joy. A social and artistic intervention based in Thokoza, Joburg, Of Soul & Joy uses the medium of photography to equip youths aged 15 to 30 with a means of navigating their environment.

It’s like Sobekwa said, on his journey from going through Of Soul & Joy to global prominence: “There have been things that I really wanted to express or confront and photography became this sort of passport.” To demonstrate the strides taken by and the gravitas of the medium in contemporary African art, the 17th edition of FNB Art Joburg has debuted a new pavilion. Dubbed GIF, the section platforms past, present, and upcoming artists who work with the camera. Coming in a year when South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy, the section is also a nod to the role that photography has played in getting us here.

During times of turmoil, the moments when marginalised people have the potential to be held, celebrated, and seen for their holistic humanity are often neglected, censored or erased in documentary practices. Addressing notions that position photography as an objective, neutral means of remembering, GIF is a demonstration of the ways in which photography, in contemporary art, can promote and foster an evolving and dynamic understanding of historical and contemporary ways of life.

FNB Art Joburg takes place from 6-8 September 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

From the September edition of Wanted, 2024.