South African award-winning photojournalist Alon Skuy’s latest exhibition A Beautiful Struggle: A Journey Through Post-Apartheid Realities opened in Miami, Florida, this weekend.
Nelson Mandela, photographed during a visit from a young soccer team, from Bree Primary School, in Mayfair, JHB. The team won the 2008 Danone Nations Cup and represented South Africa in France. Picture: Alon Skuy
The exhibition aims to capture and reflect upon a series of multifaceted experiences of South Africans and the nation itself in this contemporary post-apartheid era, with not only its unfathomable strength and endless celebration, but also its continued violence and entrenched hierarchies. Here we bring you a selection of his images.
The exhibition was made possible by the generous support of CreARTE through the Perez Family Foundation and the Miami Foundation, along with The Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab and Iris PhotoCollective.
A man poses for a photograph, inside his home, in a bridge, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The opening under the bridge is no bigger than a manhole. Picture: Alon SkuyProfessional dancer Musa Motha, who dances on crutches, poses after a practice session in Newtown, Johannesburg, South Africa. Picture: Alon SkuyA relative is consoled, ten months after the ‘Marikana Massacre’, on a cold mid-June day. The families of the deceased were bussed to Marikana, to the koppie, for a memorial and ritual cleansing at the sites of the killings. Picture: Alon SkuyRose Mhlanga, talks about losing her daughter, Kate. It is believed that Kate was killed by a serial killer. Rose works as a Domestic Worker in Pretoria. Picture: Alon SkuySiphiwe Mbatha, poses for a photograph, at Constitution Hill, in Johannesburg South Africa, during STR.CRD, a street fashion event in the city. Picture: Alon SkuyChristina Khumalo (5) poses for a picture in an Astronaut space suit, while her mom, Nelisile, and brother Chris Junior await. Christina loves space and convinced her mother to take her to ‘Gateway to Space, The Exhibition’, held at The Sandton Convention Centre. Picture: Alon SkuyGareth Cliff, media personality, and legal representative Dali Mpofu walk past ‘waste picker’ Oscar Maile after a court session in a dispute against television channel, M-Net, at the Johannesburg High Court. Picture: Alon SkuyThuli Makweba, begs for money, at a traffic light, in a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, using a long stick and a bucket, in response to fear around Covid-19 and social distancing. Picture: Alon SkuySAPS (South African Police Service) spokesperson Cheryl Engelbrecht standing on a Johannesburg pavement wielding her service pistol during a wave of xenophobic violence in Hillbrow. Picture: Alon SkuyA man is seen pulling his pants down in defiance to police, after a bus was set alight in the city center of Braamfontein, Johannesburg during student protests. Picture: Alon SkuyCaleb Mutombo takes a selfie with fellow contestants, after competing in a body building competition, in Johannesburg. Nineteen-year-old Caleb Mutombo, was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with sickle-cell anaemia, which is accompanied by physical disabilities, and which affected his arms, legs, hands and shoulders. Picture: Alon Skuy
