Santu Mofokeng: alternative ways of seeing (1996-2013)
Journal Article
2014
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Authors
Journal Title
Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies
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Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Publisher
University of Cape Town
Department
Faculty
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Abstract
Over the past thirty years Santu Mofokeng has developed a radical and alternative photographic documentation of South African life. He has come to occupy a prominent space in international and local photography worlds and is considered a major contemporary artist. His work is mainly devoted to scenes of everyday life, but he has also been concerned with representing landscape in relation to history, memory and trauma. More recently he has photographed the marks of environmental damage to the landscape and the desecration of spiritual sites. Throughout his life Mofokeng has also produced work that investigates spirituality, both as a part of black South African cultural and social experience, and in a more personal capacity. This article considers how Mofokeng’s work provides an opportunity to consider the spiritual and social challenges raised by the HIV epidemic in South Africa. Mofokeng has produced two photographic series which engage tangentially with the epidemic: Chasing Shadows1 and Child-headed Households.
Description
Reference:
Wienand, A. (2014). Santu Mofokeng: alternative ways of seeing (1996–2013). Safundi, 15(2-3), 307-328.