The Purple Shall Govern tackles social and political issues
Mary Sibande's latest exhibition touches on issues of political and social freedom, drawing on historically significant events.
Tackling social and political issues in an artistic manner, Mary Sibande’s exhibition, The Purple Shall Govern, recently opened at The Standard Bank Art Gallery.
The renowned artist, also a winner of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for 2013, said that she drew inspiration for her exhibition from sloganeering in protests such as the Purple Rain protest that took place in 1989 in Cape Town.
In that protest, the police used a water cannon and sprayed protesters with water laced with purple dye, resulting in protesters proclaiming that ‘the purple shall govern’.
“Sloganeering was one of the tools [traditionally] used to mobilise ordinary people towards actively participating and achieving political… freedom and simple events were used as propaganda to unsettle the soil,” she explained.
Sibande added that the exhibition represented a new chapter for her, and one that spoke to her aspirations, desires, fears and anxieties as a woman.
“The concept of rebirth, where I refer to the idea of transitioning from the person you were before into a new or different idea of yourself is extensively explored in this current series of works,” she said.
Sibande stressed that her exhibition carried a significant message with it – to activate dialogue through history and imagination.
“The new works that are on exhibition at the
speak to my position and my perspective as a young female artist in South Africa today,” she explained.
Her exhibition, The Purple Shall Govern, follows Sophie, an alter-ego created by the artist, through her journey from servitude to being empowered and free, one of the themes of significance to Sibande.
Sibande’s rise as an artist has been meteoric since being featured at Gallery MOMO. In addition to winning the Standard Bank award, Sibande was also invited to create artworks for the 54th Venice Biennale.
“This opportunity represented a great honour for me as it was the first time after a very long time that South Africa had officially-recognised participation at the Biennale,” she said.
Sibande continues to soar, saying that her next move includes a residency in Italy at Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship, and showing her work at the Edinburgh Art Festival in the United Kingdom.
The Purple Shall Govern, concludes its national tour at the Standard Bank Gallery and will run until 7 June 2014.
