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Recent headlines from South Africa have reported on national crises, ranging from repeated blackouts to the world’s highest unemployment rate and housing shortage. But a new exhibition of photographs sheds light on the country’s landscape of youth-led innovation and fresh culture.
In ‘A Young South Africa’ (at London’s NOW Gallery until 19 November), paintings by six photographers and creatives document the diversity of styles, talents and the thriving subculture of ‘Ama2000’, the South African term for Gen Z. But it also highlights the evolution of the cultural identity of a country that is itself young.
“We’ve only had 29 years of democracy,” Karabo Mooki, one of the invited photographers, said on a video call. “It’s a very young culture. ” Mooki’s series, “Island Gals,” documents a network of young black skaters in Johannesburg. Created by 21-year-old skateboarder Thato Moet, Island Gals offers a “safe space” for women to come together and skate, Mooki. Explained.
As a skateboarder, she was aware of skateboarding’s “heavily male-dominated cis environment” and sought to give visibility to the developing network of black women represented through Island Gals. “I felt there was a need to shine a light on the truth, documenting the evolution of (skateboarding) culture, a narrative that hasn’t been celebrated through mainstream media,” he said.
Mooki’s richly saturated portraits capture skaters in moments of connection, in the parks, streets, and other public spaces of the city where women also face harassment and violence. Each symbol is accompanied through the story of the woman, told to Mooki, from her struggles for her intellectual aptitude to her resistance. Gender stereotypes in skateboarding. ” Black women are trapped in society’s preconceived stereotypes,” she said. “I wanted to celebrate the good looks of this network and the barriers that Island Gals is pushing. “
Mooki, who has also documented the black punk scene in Soweto Township, as well as other local skate bands, believes that “the network is the cornerstone of Johannesburg’s youth culture. “
In the “Afrogrunge” photo series, 26-year-old designer and art director Anita Hlazo, accompanied by photographer Luxolo Witvoet, takes us to Cape Town’s Langa and Nyanga townships. As a teenager, Hlazo tapped into his own taste—combining pop and grunge influences with studs, piercings, platform boots, and second-hand clothing—to create the fashion brand Afrogrunge.
He described the taste for CNN via email as “a mix of culture and subculture,” combining inspirations from around the world and dressing in a way that is “alien to our cultural norm. “Afrogrunge, Hlazo said, shows that “youth culture in South Africa is aware of the global and if we don’t manage to come and get it, we will bring it here and enjoy it ourselves. “
The photographs in the show explore the experience of being an “Afrogrunge girl,” and feature young women expressing themselves through their chosen fashion and style, in stark contrast to the everyday urban environment.
Meanwhile, photographer Fede Kortez celebrates the aesthetics and identity of two other Cape Town neighbourhoods: Bo-Kaap, Cape Town’s historic centre of Malaysian culture known for its brightly painted houses, and Woodstock, acclaimed for its art scene, as well as the other young people who live there.
The portraits presented by Johannesburg-based Nikki Zakkas capture young people from across South Africa who are gaining popularity for their talent, from musicians and football players to ballet dancers. “My purpose was to show Americans that they include aspects of the new youth culture. “the photographer told CNN, explaining that she collaborated with her subjects to constitute them “as they saw themselves. “
Zakkas photographs young creatives in places that have significant personal resonance: Bhungane Mehlomakulu, a 24-year-old contemporary ballet dancer, is photographed in Sasolburg, where he grew up and discovered his love of dance; Indie musician Red Robyn is pictured at an enclosed beachfront amusement park in her hometown of Durban.
In the series ‘Back to the Soil’, Johannesburg-based artistic director Bee Diamondhead worked with photographer Travys Owen to depict three queer musicians making waves in South Africa: Desire Marea, Muneyi and Thuthuka Sibisi. The photographs show naked men, painted with clay. and clay, with poses reminiscent of classical figurative sculptures. The portraits meditate on the musician’s beauty, tenderness, care and vulnerability, as a direct counterweight to the perception of a poisonous masculinity.
With “My Liewe Land (My Great Land),” photographer Aart Verrips celebrates subcultures led by young South Africans through vibrant portraits of multicolored silhouettes. With young avant-garde in music, fashion and entertainment, adding the local musical subgenre Amapiano and trendy parties, Verrips uses their photography to turn them into iconic figures.
The growing global popularity of amapian music, which emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s, is one of the catalysts for the exhibition. “South African music is experiencing a genuine resurgence right now, especially through the lens of Amapiano and many other young people As a result, people are connecting with the culture,” said Kaia Charles, curator of NOW Gallery, as she walked through the exhibition. “We thought it would be smart to broaden the conversation. “
Charles, who has lived in Cape Town, praises the “resilience” of these young artists, especially given the demanding situations (high living charges, unreliable and fundamental schooling) they face. “From the perspective of the arts industries, South Africa is very advanced – thinking and I don’t think many other people know that,” he said. “I hope that through this program, other people will perceive the wealth of skills that exist there. “
A Young South Africa: Human Stories will be on view until 19 November at the NOW Gallery in London.
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