Oral Presentations
Location
Room 215, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Open Access
Entry Number
108
Start Date
4-10-2019 3:15 PM
End Date
4-10-2019 3:30 PM
College
Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Abstract
In a nation firmly entrenched in the principles of white supremacy and complete separation of the races, self-determination eluded South Africans of color whose visual culture had a positive impact on important political changes during apartheid. This paper examines the works of South African artists like John Mohl, Helen Sibidi, Gavin Jantjes, Ernest Cole, and Thami Mnyele who drew inspiration from their forebears and each other and enlist the strife of individuals, as well as their own struggles, to engage the viewer in intellectual and emotive narratives.
Embedded art was a fundamental element of South African communities before colonization by Europeans in the mid seventeenth century. However, as Dutch and English missionaries and colonizers diffuse their particular brands of religion and establish networks for trade, pre-colonial ways of living largely vanish as indigenous people adopt Western values and beliefs introduced by Europeans bent on saving Africans from eternal damnation. Their transforming society required the adoption of new expressions of art to respond to their experiences and increasingly harsh forms of repression. Consequently, these black artists became direct accomplices to political activism by confronting the gritty residue of apartheid.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Lindsay Michie
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Included in
Revolution and Visual Culture in South Africa During Apartheid
Room 215, Schewel Hall
In a nation firmly entrenched in the principles of white supremacy and complete separation of the races, self-determination eluded South Africans of color whose visual culture had a positive impact on important political changes during apartheid. This paper examines the works of South African artists like John Mohl, Helen Sibidi, Gavin Jantjes, Ernest Cole, and Thami Mnyele who drew inspiration from their forebears and each other and enlist the strife of individuals, as well as their own struggles, to engage the viewer in intellectual and emotive narratives.
Embedded art was a fundamental element of South African communities before colonization by Europeans in the mid seventeenth century. However, as Dutch and English missionaries and colonizers diffuse their particular brands of religion and establish networks for trade, pre-colonial ways of living largely vanish as indigenous people adopt Western values and beliefs introduced by Europeans bent on saving Africans from eternal damnation. Their transforming society required the adoption of new expressions of art to respond to their experiences and increasingly harsh forms of repression. Consequently, these black artists became direct accomplices to political activism by confronting the gritty residue of apartheid.