Looking Back… Moving Forward: An exhibition of struggle art repatriated by the Ifa Lethu Foundation
JOBURG — The exhibition will be shown alongside the Australian exhibition Memories of the Struggle – Australians Against Apartheid
This year marks the 21st anniversary of the South African Constitution and Constitutional Hill has been busy with a number of commemorative events throughout the year.
One of the most recent ones is an art exhibition by the Ifa Lethu Foundation.
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The Ifa Lethu collection is unusual in that it did not start with a clear policy of selection or direction. It grew out of the generosity of donors who returned works which they had originally purchased during the apartheid era according to their personal experiences, with no idea that they would eventually become part of a heritage project.
This project began when Diane Johnstone and Bruce Haigh, both Australian diplomats posted to South Africa in the 70s donated their personal collections to the foundation.
These works show the incredible talent and fortitude of the artists who struggled against the odds to make their art tell the stories which were so often hidden due to the marginalisation of South Africa’s majority black population.
The title of the exhibition Looking Back… Moving Forward presents an opportunity to also showcase a small selection of contemporary works by three young artists in South Africa who have links to Ifa Lethu and/or artists of the apartheid era. They are moving forward and, like those who have gone before them, they are still questioning and interrogating the politics of the day.
Turiya Magadlela is one of those artists featured in the exhibition. “This is a very important exhibition for me because not only will I get to show my latest work, I will have my work shown right next to my father’s work,” Magadlela said. “This is a very big deal for me because of how much my father inspired and continues to inspire me.”
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Magadlela added that it was not often that she had her work exhibited in Johannesburg. “I exhibit more overseas than I do here at home – it’s crazy. This is part of the reason why I am looking forward to this one.”
The exhibition opens at Constitution Hill in the Old Fort Ramparts on 23 November until 28 January next year.
