1st Edition

The Market Photo Workshop in South Africa and the 'Born Free' Generation Remaking Histories

By Julie Bonzon Copyright 2024
    208 Pages 10 Color & 70 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    208 Pages 10 Color & 70 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This study presents the history of the Market Photo Workshop (MPW) in Johannesburg and works produced by its new generation of photography students.

    Founded in 1989 by internationally renowned documentary photographer David Goldblatt, the MPW has reflected upon South African political struggles and sociocultural changes since its creation. Its foundation parallels a moment in time when photography was considered a ‘truth telling’ genre and an essential source of documents deployed against the apartheid regime. This book reflects on the evolution of the MPW in the post-apartheid era and explores how its new generation of students engages the photographic tradition of this institution and the revolutionary times that accompanied its creation to question their present moment.

    The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual studies, photography, African studies, cultural studies and post-colonial studies.

    Introduction: The photographic legacy of the Market Photo Workshop  1. The politics of remembrance: Lebohang Kganye’s Her-story/Heir-story  2. The lost heroes: Sipho Gongxeka’s Skeem’ Saka  3. A place of return: The Front by Matt Kay  4. Disruptions and sabotages: Plastic Crowns by Phumzile Khanyile  Conclusion: Working through the present

    Biography

    Julie Bonzon, PhD, is an independent art historian and photography curator.