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An impressive range of artistic reactions to the dramatic events in South Africa during and following the apartheid era…Apartheid and Today, an exhibit of art by contemporary South African artists, displays the work of artists who are involved in standing witness to social injustice and preserving the cultural richness of their communities.

Highly skilled in their craft, many of the featured artists are internationally known, and many are themselves victims of the oppressive policies of apartheid. In the wake of their personal struggles, these South African artists have produced works that are as visually rich as they are deeply expressive.

For example, prints by Nonnala Vuminkusi Zulu are intricate compositions of a textural variety. The gestures and faces of the figures are boldly expressive and the rhythmic lines and contrasts surround them with a pulsing life force. In contrast to these passionately inscribed works, one dimensional pieces and sculptures by Sydney Kumalo display a quiet dignity, but share the emphatic gesture and scarred active surface of the prints. These bronze forms have a monumental simplicity and powerfully enigmatic presence. Recently, Kumalo’s style has been compared to Henry Moore, but one wonders if in truth it wasn’t instead Moore who was influenced by the ancient culture from which Kumalo draws his inspiration.

The diversity of work presented by the artist Susan Woolfranges from tea bag and resin installation pieces to color enhanced charcoal drawings and oil painting. She presents a passionate record of turmoil from a society in transition. In 1992, her work received a solo exhibit at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.

Another artist, William Kentridge, comes from an equally diverse background of mixed media and performance art. Kentridge’s prints are etched drawings of well observed characters in stage-like narrative settings. It is not surprising then that he is currently producing charcoal film animation.

The installation proposal by Georgie Papageorge provides the visceral immediacy of personal suffering in an attempt to begin the healing process of this wounded culture.
Papageorge is interviewing those imprisoned at the Old Fort on Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The artist envisions a network of steel cylinders containing handwritten scrolls like the one displayed in the exhibit. The scroll is made of goat skin parchment and is written by Shanthie Naidoo, who relays a proud heritage of peaceful resistance by her family. She was held in the prison under solitary confinement for 371 days and tortured. Papageorge feels that the ability to bear witness to their experience will help to begin the healing of these old wounds. The proposal schematic is presented in collage form reminiscent of Rauchscenburg.

This outstanding exhibit of social artistic interaction should give pause to those of us who have never had to fight for our most basic human rights. The opportunities for the pursuit of a personal happiness are often taken for granted in our prosperous community. The strength and persistence of the people of South Africa is inspiring and admirable. The courage and sensitivity of the artists and their responsible participation in the society around them is an example of the role art can play in history and healing.

Review by JAN DIPIETRO for Campus Life

Keywords: Apartheid, David-Krut, post-apartheid, Printmaking, South-African, William-Kentridge