Prominent South African photographer Santu Mofokeng
"Devastation and beauty merge in Let’s Talk"
Santu Mofokeng
Let's Talk
Devastation and beauty merge in Let’s Talk, a series of photographs displaying exceptional aesthetic quality in which landscapes are portrayed in relation to issues of ecology, ownership and power. His work uses a new aesthetic vocabulary verging on caricature, yet the viewer is seized more by enchantment than cynicism, and Mofokeng’s reality is revealed in mythical images. In an article about the series Let’s Talk Mofokeng states ‘For the majority to buy into the fight against climate change, basic education on how to care for the immediate environment and the reasons why is needed.’ In the series he addresses the complexity of climate change and they way people deal with it ‘There is general consensus that climate change is a threat to the survival of human and other species on this planet if the world continues to do business as usual. Ergo, the patient in this scenario is commerce and profits. It is easy enough to see how the powerful bosses and the privileged scoff at the idea of sustainable energy production because it requires investment and this tends to threaten profits and escalate prices.’ Based on a spiritual perspective, Mofokeng is seeking personal reflection and political observation: a theme of sharing collective memory and public property. The exhibition Let´s Talk will be inaugurated by Santu Mofokeng on 23 September at 6:30 p.m. in the Prince Claus Fund Gallery, Herengracht 603, Amsterdam. The exhibition is open to the public (free admission) on workdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will run until 26 November 2010.
Santu Mofokeng
Santu Mofokeng is a highly perceptive and significant photographer. From a brief stint as a teenage street photographer, jobs as darkroom assistant and newspaper photographer, to work with the Afrapix Collective documenting the anti-apartheid struggle, Mofokeng's trajectory offered vital lessons about the power of representation. Santu Mofokeng is honoured for the outstanding quality and content of his work, for his refiguration of the powers of photographic representation, for his acute insight into the cultural meanings in landscapes and the reciprocal relations of environment and development, and for his significant contribution to photography in Africa.
Thursday
23
Sep
Exhibition ‘Let’s Talk’ by South African photographer Santu Mofokeng
| location: | Prince Claus Fund Gallery |
| address: | Herengracht 603, 1017 CE Amsterdam |
| time: | from 5:00 PM till 7:00 PM |
Prince Claus Awards
view programmeThe Prince Claus Awards honour outstanding achievements in the field of culture and development. The awards are presented annually to 11 individuals or organisations whose cultural actions have a positive impact on the development of their societies.
Santu Mofokeng
Santu Mofokeng is a highly perceptive and significant photographer. From a brief stint as a teenage street photographer, jobs as darkroom assistant and newspaper photographer, to work with the Afrapix Collective documenting the anti-apartheid struggle, Mofokeng's trajectory offered vital lessons about the power of representation. Santu Mofokeng is honoured for the outstanding quality and content of his work, for his refiguration of the powers of photographic representation, for his acute insight into the cultural meanings in landscapes and the reciprocal relations of environment and development, and for his significant contribution to photography in Africa.
Prominent South African photographer Santu Mofokeng
Let´s Talk, the first exhibition of photographs by Santu Mofokeng to be held in the Netherlands, will open on 23 September. Santu Mofokeng (born 1956) is considered one of the most important South African photographers of his generation and began his career as a political photojournalist reporting on the anti-apartheid struggle. Later, he decided to leave this field of endeavour and direct his attention...
Prominent South African photographer Santu Mofokeng
Let´s Talk, the first exhibition of photographs by Santu Mofokeng to be held in the Netherlands, will open on 23 September. Santu Mofokeng (born 1956) is considered one of the most important South African photographers of his generation and began his career as a political photojournalist reporting on the anti-apartheid struggle. Later, he decided to leave this field of endeavour and direct his attention...
