Huis Marseille : Apartheid & After

Apartheid & After is based on an idea by David Goldblatt, with the aim of showcasing the quality, diversity, and dynamism of contemporary South African photography.

Now, thirty years after the first free elections in 1994, alongside Goldblatt, there are several dozen photographers with a strong reputation, such as Guy Tillim, Jo Ractliffe, Santu Mofokeng, Zanele Muholi, and Pieter Hugo. The third generation has also emerged, including Mikhael Subotzky, Daniel Naudé, and Sabelo Mlangeni. The dynamism and scope that photography now enjoys in South Africa can be attributed in part to the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg, where, under the guidance of John Fleetwood, a considerable amount of exceptional young talent has been nurtured in a relatively short time.

In "Apartheid & After," the past proves to be very much alive. However, past events are brought into a visual dialogue with the present – history is the key to this time, and vice versa. In the history of South African photography, political upheavals have generated a sense of urgency, which, in turn, has led to the current rich spectrum of positions – thus far, without any comparison. Good photos are eloquent excerpts from a larger whole. In this exhibition, it is precisely the specific filtering of details – many deceptively simple things – that clearly delineate the broad lines along which history moves.