Not the Usual Suspects on show
LAST CHANCE TO SEE – Iziko South African National Gallery until 5 May 2019.
Not the Usual Suspects, a survey of the Market Photo Workshop (MPW), recently opened at the Iziko South African National Gallery, and runs until 5 May 2019. The exhibition, a tribute to the Market Photo Workshop showcases more than 100 artworks by more than thirty artists. Curated by Iziko Curator and MPW graduate, Ingrid Masondo, this collaborative project brings together the histories and archives of the MPW in dialogue with the private archives and memories of “alumni”.
Featuring an intergenerational group of practitioners who have contributed to the MPW’s vibrancy and evolution since its inception to the current – these include learners, trainers, mentors, project managers and ‘staff’ – the exhibition interrogates issues of access and visibility. Engaging head-on with the politics and ethics of representation, the exhibition also seeks to expand on the roles and uses of photography in society.
The exhibition is designed to encourage a dialogue between the Market Photo Workshop’s archives and public histories, the experiences and memories of “alumni”, while posing questions such as: what is and who is included in the public sphere, in the South African Curriculum and Art History? The works represented run a wide gamut of human experiences, ranging from the intimate to public, the playful and the deadly serious. Through these works and reflections, complex debates about community and nation, race and class, patriarchy, the environment, technology, migration, the urban condition, are examined.
Broadly, the exhibition, Not the Usual Suspects broadens the MPW archive and is a timely and critical intervention on contemporary debates about education and the curriculum, histories and archives.
Participating artists:
Nina Bekink, Jody Brand, Keran Elah, Shannon Ferguson, Goldendean, Nidaa Husain, Jenny Gordon, Davina Jogi, Zaituna Euridice Kala, Simangele Kalisa, Akona Kenqu, Lebohang Kganye, Gulshan Khan, Phumzile Khanyile, Michelle Loukidis, Lerato Maduna, Dahlia Maubane, Tshepiso Mazibuko, Bongiwe Mchunu, Keorapetse Mosimane, Ruth Motau, Rosetta Msimango, Kresiah Mukwazhi, Lauren Mulligan, Monique Pelser, Cora Portais, Jo Ractliffe, Claire Rousell, Vathiswa Ruselo, Remofiloe Sebobe, Sally Shorkend, Samantha Simons, Lebogang Tlhako, Zimbabwean Association of Female Photographers (ZAFP).
Not the Usual Suspects is on show at the Iziko South African National Gallery, daily from 09:00 until 17:00, until April 2019.
ENDS
Issued by: Melody Kleinsmith
Marketing and Communications Manager: Iziko Museums of South Africa
Telephone: +27 (0) 21 481 3838 Website https://www.iziko.org.za
On behalf of: Office of the CEO, Iziko Museums of South Africa
About Iziko Museums of South Africa (Iziko)
Iziko operates 11 national museums, the Planetarium and Digital Dome, the Social History Centre and three collection specific libraries in Cape Town. The museums that make up Iziko have their own history and character, presenting extensive art, social and natural history collections that reflect our diverse African heritage. Iziko is a public entity and public benefit organisation that brings together these museums under a single governance and leadership structure. The organisation allows *free access to all individuals on commemorative days, (*excluding the Castle of Good Hope, Groot Constantia and Planetarium and Digital Dome). Visit our webpage at www.iziko.org.zajoin our online community on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/IzikoMuseums) or follow us on Twitter (@Iziko_Museums) for regular updates on events, news and new exhibitions.
About the Market Photo Workshop (MPW)
The Market Photo Workshop (MPW), a renowned photography and visual literacy learning and teaching institution in Johannesburg came into existence during the turmoil of the apartheid era in the late 1980s. Established by Gillian Cargill and the late David Goldblatt (who sadly passed away on Monday, 25 June 2018), the MPW was radical in providing “affordable” photography education, equipment and support beyond racial lines, particularly focused on those who had no access to formal education, including art training. Through its existence and radical methodology, the Photo Workshop has contributed significantly to shaping the modes of a critical photography in this country (and beyond) and has been at the centre of debates about representation, aesthetics and ethics (and much more) for nearly three decades, especially from the point of view of those on the margins.
Market Photo Workshop is the recipient of The Principal Prince Claus Award 2018.
