Present Tense. Photos from the South of Africa
18 September–14 December 2013
Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian – Délégation en France
39 bd de la Tour Maubourg
75007 Paris
A coproduction of Gulbenkian Next Future program and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Paris
2011 saw the commemorations of twenty years since the end of apartheid in South Africa. In collaboration with the Gulbenkian Next Future programme, the French Delegation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation pays tribute to photographers from the south of Africa. Being interested in Africa implies being involved in a continent where the history of photography is particularly important. Little known in Europe despite their talent and incisive outlook on their societies, two important generations of photographers are presented here. Two tendencies can be outlined: while some of them demonstrate that they have not forgotten their past and their history, others are now turned towards the future. The exhibition will bring together work by 14 photographers and highlight the contemporary tensions that exist in their countries and societies in general. The sometimes unusual thematic choices and the mise en scène have been carefully thought through, with social questions of identity and public space at the centre of the work; these tensions become productive and contribute to the wealth of these artists’ propositions.
Works by Délio Jasse (Angola), Dillon Marsh (South Africa), Filipe Branquinho (Mozambique), Guy Tillim (South Africa), Jo Ractliffe (South Africa), Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola), Mack Magagane (South Africa), Malala Andrialavidrazana (Madagascar), Mauro Pinto (Mozambique), Paul Samuels (South Africa), Pieter Hugo (South Africa), Sabelo Mlangeni (South Africa), Sammy Baloji (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi (Zimbabwe).
Curator: António Pinto Ribeiro
