Paul Kruger statue ‘vandalism’ a piece of art
Cape Town artists caught 'defacing' the statue of Paul Kruger in Krugersdorp.
Paul Kruger’s statue next to Monument Dam in Krugersdorp North was ‘vandalised’ again.
The only difference is that the ‘vandals’ Glenn Afrika and Bevan Thornton (Cape Town artists) did it in full view of the public, in broad daylight.
They painted a thick pink silicone onto this former President of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal).
Members of the public immediately reacted when seeing this as the recent vandalising of this statue as well as the bust of JG Strijdom, a former Prime Minister of South Africa just opposite Kruger’s statue, still was fresh in the community’s mind when it was defaced with red paint in April.
“This is part of our history, history cannot be wiped,” a woman said while walking past the statue, thinking it had been defaced again.
But the community has nothing to fear as the latest ‘statue defacing’ will form part of an artist exhibition at the Goodman Gallery in Rosebank next month in a bid to transcend a national debate around South Africa’s statues and monuments. The artists also obtained permission from the Mogale City council to carry out their work.
Public artist Haroon Gunn-Salie told the News in a telephonic interview his aim is to show the scale of the statues in comparison to the ones one would find in a human presence, which will cause a reaction on the physical psychology statues and memorials have.
“I want to see what African identity is constructed through these memorials,” Haroon, a Capetonian said.
The exhibition titled Soft Vengeance will be his first solo art exhibition and will have casts of multiple other statues from South Africa. They include statues of Cape Town’s Bartolomeu Dias and Jan van Riebeeck in Adderley Street and Cecil John Rhodes in the Company’s Garden. In Johannesburg Carl von Brandis at the corner of Pritchard and Von Brandis Streets and Krugersdorp’s own Paul Kruger.
“I am really hoping the people will come from far and wide including Krugersdorp to see my work. This is being done for public education purposes and I want to engage with the public about the current monumental issues we have in the country.”
Haroon’s exhibition will be running from 22 August to 22 September at the Goodman Gallery on Chester Road, Rosebank.
For more information the gallery can be contacted on 011 723 4892.
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