Evocative Portraits from Apartheid South Africa on View in NYC
The Walther Collection continues its exploration of vernacular photography from the continent.
Summer exhibition Who I Am: Rediscovered Portraits from Apartheid South Africa showing at the Walther Collection Project Space in NYC presents a rare glimpse into the private lives and aspirations of Black, Indian and Coloured South Africans under Apartheid rule.
<p>Spanning Indian photographer <strong>Singarum “Kitty” Jeevaruthnam Moodley</strong>’s portfolio from 1972 to 1984, the dynamic black-and-white photo portraits capture the experiences of the poor and working class as they experimented with traditional and modern fashion while bending societal norms of gender, ethnicity and culture.</p><p>“Some are clad in religious outfits, Zulu beadwork, or the garb of a traditional folk healer, while others are decked out in either their Sunday best or heart-wrenchingly shabby attire,” describe the exhibition's organizers. “At times, the same person shifts between worlds: in one enigmatic pair of portraits, a transgressive sitter appears in both masculine and feminine guises.”</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>Captured in Kitty’s studio in Pietermaritzburg, the photos offer a nostalgic, yet bracing perspective that counter the indelible and appalling images that typically dominate memories of Apartheid South Africa. The collection serves to enlarge demotic studio portraiture from the continent.</p><p>“A vibrant community institution and anti-apartheid hub, Kitty’s Studio provided a safe space for local clients to collaborate with their photographer in the construction of portraits that often overturned established conventions,” the organizers explain.</p><p><em>Who I Am</em> runs from June 2 until September 3 and continues The Walther Collection’s exploration of vernacular photography. Previous exhibitions showcased the portraits of celebrated, late Malian photographers <strong>Seydou Keïta</strong> and <strong>Malick Sidibé</strong> and nineteenth-century African and colonial photography.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>Take a look at the beautiful, provocative portraits below:</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMwMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNzYwODMzNn0.A4xegZDFr2pZQ7FpAp0tmdEMWJLSAUN-d-t5XiOSzLU/img.jpg?width=980" id="74842" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="14a29b4be0247ecb982c9301d315e65f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Family Portrait" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMwNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDUwNTcxMX0.qfzoMzZb-aKcT0IKUMLpOUY3-pEieKT-McOQusOAzXk/img.jpg?width=980" id="7143b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="67e08e737d55065d6c830613acdbdb6f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Three Men Dancing In a Line" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMxNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDA5MzMzOH0.jabU3larxMCHQywKEnk_z_Px1Nymz86Fmfa1ayRfdrk/img.jpg?width=980" id="abaf4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e2d4c92b3c5fd03b127ad4b8876137e7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Boy In a Wicker Chair" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDQxNDQ1Mn0.L4kzkEMPaj8nK-oQWJbD0HKDoCOp1SAKAzhXv1NJAvI/img.jpg?width=980" id="801f9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="df5335283ee8d1c193b0e214a807fef1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Two Men With Floral Decoration" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMyMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzE0Mzg2MH0.VEBYEDoGx9dgfcm6qQu6sQc-JK07OCoxf82Tmoo1Xlw/img.jpg?width=980" id="831f4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="90759dd3e9f76a94d2198e6972fcda16" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Two Women Wearing Party Dresses" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTk1MDEzOX0.dtjhtY-dwn6jfxDr9RSaKZJAe2cqya_ECkyuW-hYw4E/img.jpg?width=980" id="7f121" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e27edc16675ff10b97a36c1068ad1767" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Woman Wearing Zulu Beadwork and Holding Umbrella" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDM5OTMyNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDgxNTUyNH0.icclr0nLL4awVQAW6yntnqELeJ2s8ZMfdtgluuEqe2M/img.jpg?width=980" id="e7f65" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2b7b99797ca4aafec5e7642f8cb166ec" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> "Woman Wearing Zulu Beadwork and Pants" Courtesy of the Walther Collection</p>
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