EXHIBITION
Social and political change comes to life in the images collected by Paul Weinberg for the fascinating exhibition Then and Now: Eight South African Photographers, now showing at Brisbane Powerhouse until Sunday May 2.
The exhibition presents works by eight important South African photographers who were active in the struggle against Apartheid and contrasts their work during the Apartheid era with their work in the new democracy.
The contrasts and parallels between works from both periods provides insights into South Africa’s troubled cultural and political history along with more intimate glimpses of the lives of ordinary people as they experience the challenges and excitement of contemporary South Africa. David Goldblatt, perhaps South Africa’s most famous photographer, is included in the exhibition along with Paul Weinberg, Guy Tillim, George Hallett, Eric Miller, Cedric Nunn, Graeme Williams and Gisele Wulfsohn.
The exhibition also marks and presents the personal and artistic journeys of these socially committed photographers as they enjoy new personal and artistic freedoms. With the demise of Apartheid, the freedom to explore new personal and artistic concerns is evident in many of the works, as is an ongoing sense of social commitment.
Paul Weinberg is a South African born photojournalist and documentary photographer who was one of the founding members of the Afrapix photographic agency. Afrapix was a key group in the collective photography movement and its members were well known for their uncompromising visual portrayal of the apartheid system and popular resistance to it.
This socially significant collection is a must-see and will be shown at Brisbane Powerhouse until May 2.
