In scenes reminiscent of 1976’s Soweto uprising, students outside the parliament and government buildings were tear-gassed and stun-grenaded. Campus meetings were broken up by riot police, water cannons and rubber bullets. Over the last several weeks, students across South Africa’s universities have been protesting under the banner #feesmustfall. The protests centre around a need for free education, a call for decolonising our universities, and a demand that the outsourcing of university workers be ended. The students in general have been non-aligned, broad-based and peaceful, but have been met with police brutality and mass arrests. The minister of higher education, the president and the universities’ vice chancellors met the demands with sneers and interdicts, until eventually succumbing to some of the demands after increasing pressure. The protests are ultimately a sign that after 20 years of democracy, change is too slow. In solidarity with the students, we published two pieces: the first is a consideration of how the media has handled the images from the protests (read here) and the second an analysis of a single image of the president’s response to the protests (read here).
Hank Willis Thomas’ Young Gifted and Black group show at Goodman Gallery
This group show, based on the lyrics of a Nina Simone track, has an impressive list of American artists, with a smattering of South Africans. Our reviewer Same Mdluli tries to unpick the contradictions of the show’s geopolitical position, against a backdrop of rising student movements and black consciousness.
Death Speaks at 6 Spin Street
In the current art climate, independent group shows in non-commercial venues are rare. This large show of mostly emerging artists takes its cue from Vanitas painting. Thuli Gamedze considers in her review whether some dead voices are louder than others, and if otherness haunts us beyond the grave.
Candice Breitz: Him + Her
One of our most well-known exports, Candice Breitz’ work often muses on popular and cinematic culture. Him + Her is two separate videos: Him places 23 Jack Nicholsons (from a range of films made over 40 years) into confrontation with one another, while Her is essentially a showdown between 28 Meryl Streeps (cut out of 28 films that were made over a period of 30 years). Tim Leibbrandt talks to her about this epic work.
Intermedia and Social Critique
American academic John Peffer has recently put together a series of events, talks and shows around the idea of intermedia. He’s been looking at how a translation between different mediums can open up a space for critique, looking at wide range of examples from both South Africa and the US. Chad Rossouw unpacks these concepts, looking particularly at retouched Apartheid passbook photographs.
Online exclusive published on 11 November 2015.
