Beaumont Enterprise : Nearby exhibition gives comment on sins of colonialism and apartheid (by Andy Coughlan)

An installation photo of "William Kentridge: Power in the Shadows" at MFAH through Sept. 10. Photo by Andy Coughlan

From 1948 to 1992, South Africa was a segregated country under the apartheid system, from the Afrikaans word meaning “apartness.” The white minority used authoritarian rule to stratify the country, with whites on top and Black Africans on the lowest social and economic level.

Johannesburg artist William Kentridge refused to see the world in such stark black-and-white terms, although, ironically, the majority of his work is decidedly monochrome. A philosopher and humanitarian, Kentridge’s drawings, animations, assemblages and tapestries examine the idiosyncrasies of the human condition, especially as it relates to apartheid and eventual desegregation, as well as colonial racism.

The retrospective “William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows,” on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston through Sept. 10, is thought-provoking, challenging, witty and visually inspiring.

Born in 1955, Kentridge was from a family of activists. His father was a civil rights lawyer who helped defend Nelson Mandela and his brothers were also lawyers. Kentridge considered the law but luckily for us he chose the arts. He believes we should be able to learn from history in order to have a better future. Kentridge’s work is not just an indictment of the atrocities of the past but also optimistic for humanity’s future.

The large silkscreened triptych “Art in a State of Grace, Art in a State of Hope, Art in a State of Siege,” from 1988, is a reaction to Johannesburg centenary in 1986. Kentridge thought it wrong to celebrate 100 years of a city built on the backs of exploited peoples. The image on the right shows a white businessman with the words “100 YEARS of Easy Living.” The three panels are clearly influenced by Expressionism, as well as Surrealism. Kentridge is also renowned for his draftsmanship, and he studied to be a printmaker. His technique is exceptional and invites the viewer to immerse himself in the image.

His 1980s animated films and drawings show the history of Johannesburg, and we are introduced to the antihero throughout films, a fat businessman named Soho Eckstein. A mining magnate, Eckstein is a glutton, and we see him constantly feeding himself.

Kentridge has an unusual technique for his animated films. He draws an image and takes the frame then erases part of it and redraws it for the next frame and then again and again. This creates a stop-motion effect. Sometimes he will pan across the drawing or move into a closeup of the image. There are around three hours of film which, at the very least, deserve repeat visits. The predominantly black-and-white imagery with soundtrack is a throwback to early Surrealist films.

One of his early prints is “Casspir of Love.” A casspir is an armored vehicle used by police in demonstrations. When they showed up at a demonstration it meant imprisonment, violence and even death for Black South Africans, but to whites they were a symbol of order, power and security. Here we see severed heads stacked as if in a guillotine.

The exhibition’s second gallery offers us theater through the African lens. Kentridge worked with the Cape Town puppet theatre reinterpreting classic texts in a contemporary political context. “Ubu Tells the Truth” is a reinterpretation of Alfred Jarry’s 1896 play “Ubu Roi” (“King Ubu”). South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established post-Apartheid to facilitate a smooth transition to democracy. The TRC offered amnesty to anyone who confessed to crimes under apartheid, and Kentridge’s work points out the contradictions in the policy and show Ubu attempting to cleanse his public persona. The etchings are dark and moody, but brilliantly rendered and one is drawn into the exquisite detail.

The gallery featuring the films “Secondhand Reading” and “Sybil” gives us a chance to both the films and a series of the drawings that make up the animation. The images are on book pages and Kentridge moves the pages through with each individual drawing to create an animated film that asks us look at figures as they walk through life. Sibyl was granted her wish by Apollo for eternal life, but she was not granted eternal youth. The pages turn like the passage of time.

Kentridge’s amusing assemblage “Singer Trio” is straight up Dada inspired. Three Singer sewing machines are mounted with megaphones that move as they serenade us with African songs composed by Nhlanhla Mahlangu. At first one cannot help but smile at the scene but as one listens to the voices, one cannot help but be moved. One imagines workers in a textile mill singing as they work. Kentridge highlights in the beauty to be found even in mundane work.

An image of the waterfall illustrates the colonial powers waging wars against each other on African soil. But horses were considered too valuable to waste, so they pressed thousands of Africans into service. In Kentridge’s image, we see the Africans being used basically as pack Mules because they worth less than a horse.

Kentridge does a lot of work with silhouettes, and one would think that these would be just blank ciphers but under his skillful hand, the silhouettes are expressive, he imbues them with personality. They are more than nameless chattel.

Kentridge loves his country and through his work is an ambassador for South Africa. He loves Johannesburg and doesn't want to abandon it. His work looks to the past to create awareness of the sins of colonialism and apartheid. But one can see clearly see Kentridge is not tied down or defeated by the past. Through the beauty of his work, we see a world that more than simply black and white. There is nuance in the shadows, and a future to which we can all aspire.

Source : https://www.beaumontenterprise.com