5 of the most talked about South African artworks
In the wake of
the outcry over a Richards Bay pupil's controversial art exhibition, we look at
some of the country's most talked about pieces which sparked debate in recent
years.
This week, a video emerged on social media of the art project, displayed at Grantleigh High School. It depicts Jesus Christ as a clown and also features paper mache pieces of horned creatures, made with pages from the bible. The exhibition has garnered mixed reaction on social media.
READ: Outcry over prestigious KZN school 'satanic' art
Here, we take look at other artworks which made headlines:
Ayanda Mabulu’s explicit paintings of political figures like former presidents Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma created quite a stir. In 2017, he released a painting which depicted Zuma and Mandela in a compromising position. At the time, the Nelson Mandela Foundation acknowledged Mabulu's right to freedom of expression, but said the depiction of the late statesman is distasteful. In an interview with News24, Mabulu defended his painting, saying Madiba represented ordinary South Africans. He said Mandela's hopes, dreams and all that he'd fought for had been thrown into a pile of rubbish by the country's leadership.
The ANC described the artwork at the time as grotesque, inflammatory and in bad taste. The party said despite the message Mabulu was trying to get across, it viewed the artwork as crossing the bounds of rationality to degradation and exploiting the craft of creative art for nefarious ends. In response to another Mabulu piece depicting Zuma, the former president's son, Edward Zuma said at the time that he would defend his father, and would do so physically, if needs be. He said his father's rights were being trampled on by Mabulu.
Brett Murray's 'The Spear,' exhibited at Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg in May 2012. Here former president Jacob Zuma is depicted with his private parts exposed. The piece was soon defaced with paint, while the ANC threatened the artist with legal action saying it was in bad taste. In a blog post titled 'On the President, his penis, and bizarre attempts to censor a work or art', constitutional law expert, Professor Pierre de Vos said: "The ANC may not be aware of the fact that section 16(1)(c) of the Constitution states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes “freedom of artistic creativity”. It is true that no right is unlimited but even where the right to free expression is limited an exception is usually made for artistic expression."
Umlazi-born visual activist and photographer, Zanele Muholi has made waves on the global stage. The award-winning artist says her mission is “to re-write a black queer and trans visual history of South Africa." Muholi's Somnyama Ngonyama exhibition ('Hail, the Dark Lioness') triggered conversation within the black community around colourism, black identity and LGBTI issues.
Anton Kannemeyer, who sometimes goes by the pseudonym Joe Dog, is the co-founder of the magazine Bitterkomix – a satirical journal. Much of his pieces deal with race and identity. Kannemeyer's Pappa in Afrika collection of drawings, paintings and comics tackle colonialism and its ongoing legacy head-on.
Tony Gum is an acclaimed South African photographer who initially began posting selfies on Instagram. Gum’s debut self-portraiture solo photo exhibition ‘Ode to She’ infuses urban modernism and her Xhosa roots. She told Between 10 and 5: "I believe in honouring our individual truths. Our ability to pause, reflect, connect and celebrate that which makes each of us whole means we are better placed to recognise and respect this essence in others.”
