What went on behind the camera

The Other Camera is an exhibition that draws its photographs from the standpoints of the artists themselves – that is the standpoint of a participant and through the eyes of community photographers.

The exhibition aims to portray to the world how Africans, and more specifically South Africans, interact and photograph their own people, places and environments.

In South Africa, it has been documented that most renowned and successful black photographers in South Africa, through the ages, have started out as street photographers.

The ‘other camera’ has become an ever-present concept in photography, with this figurative camera appearing at all occasions and rituals, even becoming a distinct genre that explains being African in a different light.

The exhibition does not only include works from the up-and-coming artists, but also established artists such as David Goldblatt.

The pieces exhibited at the centre are not the ones that have been seen numerous times by the public, but rather the more rare artworks that have not hit the mainstream since their creation.

The exhibition meant different things for different artists.

For some it was a way to express their hopes and dreams, for others it was a way to express the character of their environments and for the rest, it is the last sign of their lives.

The Other Camera will be open for viewing at the Wits Origins Centre until 14 March.