The development of a critical practice in post-apartheid South African photography

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:South African photography in the 20th century was dominated by the documentary genre.This genre has its roots in 19th century Modernist and colonialist belief in the accuracy ofthe camera as a tool of representation, and faith in the camera's objectivity and ability topresent empirical evidence and 'truth'. These positivist notions were carried into SouthAfrican documentary practice during the apartheid era. Apartheid-era South Africandocumentary photography was particularly focused on exposing the socio-political ills ofapartheid in order to gain support for the liberation movement, both locally and abroad. Itwas serious and didactic in its purpose and did not allow for creative responses to themedium, as the camera was seen as a 'weapon' of the struggle.The 1990s saw the beginning of the emergence of a liberated South Africa. Thedocumentary imperative to record and expose apartheid practices was now increasinglyredundant. Photographers, particularly after the elections, were faced with a 'crisis' ofsorts in documentary as the main focus of their subject had been removed. The upshot ofthis was that documentary photographers had to find new subjects, which they had toapproach in different ways.The arrival of Postmodernism in South Africa coincided with the demise of apartheid. Ithad in essence been kept at bay by what seemed to be the more pressing issues of thestruggle. Postmodern art and its theoretical base, post-structuralism, argued for an erosionof the previously fixed concepts of genre, and allowed for the mixing of the previouslyseparate categories of 'documentary' and 'art'. There was a radical questioning ofpreviously fixed constructs of race, identity, class and gender. The erosion of thedocumentary imperative to record allowed for more creative responses to the mediumthan ever before. Artists were able to experiment technically, with video, multi-media,digital photography, historical processes, colour, composite work and interactive pieces.In this thesis I explore the above-mentioned shift and situate my practical work withinthis contemporary paradigm.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University