2023

Stellenbosch Outdoor Photography Exhibition

Stellenbosch, South Africa

View 3D Virtual Tour: my.3dtours.co.za/tour/stellenbosch-outdoor-photography-exhibition

“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography, everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary.” - David Bailey

Freedom, I dream up for myself and others, is an exploration of a visual language that bridges gaps between cultures, creates understanding, and inspires empathy and connection. This photographic presentation transcends language barriers and allows people to convey ideas and concepts using imagery and visual cues. The works selected in this exhibition are intended to be mindful of the subtleties of our dreams and how we view the world. They are intended to resonate with us all, and with the medium of photography it does so in its purest form, it does not distort. Photography is a tool that never warps or ages. This medium teaches us to look, to look again, and to do so harder. This visual universal language has the ability to change perception, encourage understanding, and create a sense of urgency when needed. It has been the reason to incite human action and at other times to inspire human connection.This exhibition explores the Masters of Photography who draw inspiration from the African continent. It encourages the audience to foster meaningful dialogue in investigating the archive. The artists have pushed boundaries within the medium of photography and created works that have stood the test of time. Archives are not just windows into the past, they are the authentic creations of individual people who lived before us and still live among us. They are the archaeology that was never buried.

Vryheid, drome wat ek vir myself en ander droom, is die verkenning van 'n visuele taal wat gapings tussen kulture oorbrug, wat begrip skep en empatie en verbinding inspireer. Hierdie fotografiese aanbieding oorskry taalgrense en stel mense in staat om idees en konsepte deur middel van beelde en visuele leidrade oor te dra. Die werke wat vir hierdie uitstalling gekies is, is bedoel om meer bewustheid te kweek van die subtiliteite van ons drome en hoe ons die wêreld sien. Fotografie leer ons om te kyk, om weer te kyk en om dit meer intens te doen. Hierdie visuele, universele taal het die vermoë gehad om waarneminge te verander, om begrip aan te moedig en om 'n gevoel van dringendheid te skep wanneer dit nodig was. Die uitstalling kyk indringend na die Meesters van Fotografie uit die Afrika-kontinent, en moedig die gehoor aan om betekenisvolle dialoog te bevorder in die ondersoek na die argief. Hierdie kunstenaars het grense binne fotografie verskuif en werke geskep wat die toets van tyd deurstaan het. Argiewe is nie net vensters na die verlede nie, dit is die outentieke skeppings van individuele mense wat voor ons geleef het en steeds tussen ons woon. Hulle is die argeologie wat nooit begrawe is nie.

Inkululeko, ndiphuphela mna nabanye, luphicotho lolwimi lokubonwayo oluvala izikhewu eziphakathi kweenkcubeko, ludala ulwazi lukhuthaze ukuzibeka kwimeko yomnye umntu nokuqhagamshelana. Le ngcaciso yohlobo lweefoto igqitha kuzo zonke iilwimi yaye inika ithuba abantu ukuba bavakalise iimbono neengqikelelo besebenzisa imifanekiso kunye nezikhokelo zokubonwayo. Imisebenzi echongiweyo kulo mboniso ijonge ukuqwalasela kakhulu ukungacaci kakuhle kwamaphupha ethu nendlela esibona ngayo ihlabathi. Ukufota kusifundisa ukujonga, ukujonga kwakhona nokwenjenjalo kakhulu. Olu lwimi lunguzwelonke lokubonwayo luye lwanawo amandla okutshintsha ingcinga, ukukhuthaza ukuqonda nokudala uvakalelo lokwenzeka kwezinto ngokukhawuleza xa kuyimfuneko. Lo mboniso uphicotha ooMpondozihlanjiwe bezokuFota abasuka kwizwekazi iAfrika, yaye ukhuthaza ababukeli ukuba babethelele incoko yababini enentsingiselo ekuphandeni iakhayivu. Amagcisa enze konke okusemandleni kwezokufota adala imisebenzi eye yamelana nezanzwili zexesha. Iiakhayivu asiyondlela yokujonga kuphela kwixesha elidlulileyo, zizinto ezidaliweyo ezinyanisekileyo zabantu ngabantu ngabanye ababephila phambi kwethu. Bayiakhiyoloji engazange yangcwatywa.

Image Credit: Photographs for Stellenbosch Triennale (SOST) of the Stellenbosch Outdoor Photography Exhibition by Jumpin' the Gun Creative Agency & Funhouse

Anelisa Mangcu

Curator

Anelisa Mangcu is a curator and interdisciplinary art practitioner based in Cape Town. Mangcu is the co-founder of the Victory of the Word, an organisation that works on funding and investment strategies to stimulate and preserve art entities such as Lovedale Press. Mangcu has curated over 40 exhibitions and presentations for fairs such as FNB Art Joburg, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, 1-54 New York and RMB Latitudes Art Fair. Mangcu is also the founder of Under The Aegis, which offers curatorial and art advisory services, and facilitates the relationship between artists, collectors and institutional collections from the African continent and the diaspora. Mangcu obtained an Honours in Curatorship from the Centre for Curating the Archive, at Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town.