South African Resistance Art Flashcards
Question 4 of the exam. 3 Examples (14 cards)
For what movement and in what year was ‘Botha’s Baby’ created? By who?
‘Botha’s Baby’ was made by Gavin Younge in 1981 and is part of the anti-apartheid art movement
Describe ‘Botha’s Baby’ by Gavin Younge
A cast-iron and welded steel baby feeding tray, with a space fitting a pistol indented into the tray.
What is the symbolism behind ‘Botha’s Baby’?
The juxtaposition of a baby’s high chair with a handgun’s impression in the feeding tray symbolises how systemic violence permeated through privileged and sheltered white South Africans.
By associating the “baby” with Botha, Younge critiques the (at the time) South African Prime Minister’s role in perpetuating a cycle of violence and oppression.
What was the public perception of the work in the South African art world?
The sculpture elicited strong emotional reactions upon its first exhibition, with some viewers vandalising it, highlighting the contentious nature of art that confronts uncomfortable truths
For what movement and in what year was ‘Tribute to Chris Hani’ created? By who?
‘Tribute to Chris Hani’ was made by Willie Bester in 1993 and is a piece of protest art
Describe ‘Tribute to Chris Hani’ by Willie Bester
A mixed media assemblage that combines found objects, photographs, painted elements, and symbolic imagery, surrounding a portrait of Chris Hani, which is framed in a bicycle wheel
What is the context behind ‘Tribute to Chris Hani’?
The piece was created in response to the assassination of Chris Hani, a prominent anti-apartheid leader, in 1993. Hani’s death was a pivotal moment in South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy
What does the tire symbolise in ‘Tribute to Chris Hani’?
– The bicycle tire around the portrait
of Hani represents a laurel wreath
– While the tire connotes the fearful
“necklacing” practice, Bester aimed to restore it to its original connotations of transport,
labour, progress and union activity
– The tire is inscribed with the
valediction “Hamba Kahle” (Go
Gently),
What other symbolism can be found in ‘Tribute to Chris Hani’?
The AK-47 overlaid by the dove symbolises Hani’s wish to abandon the armed struggle and fight for freedom through labour organisation (Strikes, stay-aways, peaceful demonstrations, etc)
The figure of a miner, whose helmet illuminates a bank note, symbolises wage negotiations and the labour struggle
The yoke symbolises the continued state of subjection under Apartheid.
For what movement and in what year was ‘Butcher Boys’ created? By who?
‘Butcher Boys’ was made by Jane Alexander in 1986 and is part of the anti-Apartheid art movement
Describe ‘Butcher Boys’ by Jane Alexander
A life-sized sculptural installation featuring three humanoid figures sitting on a bench in varied human-like poses. They appear mostly human, but with grotesque mutations (horns, shut ears and mouths, etc.).
What do the mutations of the ‘Butcher Boys’ represent?
As if something fundamental has been stripped away, the mutations represent the brutality and moral decay of apartheid
- Silencing of dissent (no voice),
- Refusal to hear the suffering of others (no ears),
- Loss of empathy and communication.
What does the name of the artwork ‘Butcher Boys’ refer to?
The term “Butcher Boys” evokes not only literal butchery but also institutional violence, particularly state-sanctioned brutality. The figures’ physiques are strong and intimidating, implying the threatening presence of power used to intimidate or oppress.
What parts of the Apartheid system does ‘Butcher Boys’ critique?
Censorship and dehumanisation, increasing violence and state control. Jane Alexander’s work, while not overtly political in symbols, clearly critiques:
authoritarian control, the numbing of the human conscience, the normalisation of systemic cruelty.
