Art Exhibitions show South African history
PARKWOOD — Fragile Histories, Fugitive Lives and The Forgotten focus on the fragile and sometimes forgotten histories of South Africans.
Lizamore and Associates presents Fragile Histories, Fugitive Lives, a solo exhibition by Keith Dietrich, alongside a group print exhibition curated by Teresa Lizamore titled The Forgotten. The exhibitions opened on 4 August.
For the past decade, Dietrich has worked with folded paper, texts and photographs to create artist’s books and photomontages. His work juxtaposes the fragility of his materials with the fragility of human encounters and relations, particularly in the context of colonial South Africa. The core of the exhibition consists of an artist’s book and four photomontage triptychs entitled Fragile Histories, Fugitive Lives | Justice and Injustice at the Cape, 1700 – 1800. This exhibition is informed by the 1220 trials that took place between 1692 and 1802 at the Cape of Good Hope, which was ruled by the Dutch East India Company at the time.
The Forgotten focuses on the untold and often forgotten narratives of individuals in South Africa’s history. The artists involved in the project were asked to act as authors for these narratives, building a history of South Africa that is separate from that which is known and told often. Participating authors include Grace Mmabatho Mokalapa, Bevan de Wet, Titia Ballot, Pebofatso Mokoena, Philip Mabote, Lekau Matsena and Michael Selekane.
The exhibitions are open for viewing at the Lizamore and Associates Gallery in Parkwood until 27 August.
