NOW Gallery is preparing to get up close and personal again with the 2023 edition of its Human Stories photography exhibition.
This year, South Africa is in the spotlight, with six photographers documenting contemporary life in their home country.
The exhibition is called A Young South Africa, and as the name suggests, the show is weighted towards the up-and-coming generation of adults, showing life in the country through their eyes.
Some of the collections peer inside fringe communities, capturing their lifestyles. Other works are more abstract, using costumes to create figures who allude to the nation’s sometimes turbulent and divided cultural landscape.
Among the communities explored are Black women, queer skateboarders and those shaping the look and style of ‘Afrogrunge’ subculture.
The backdrop to the exhibition isn’t so rosy. The country’s basic facilities, including clean water, are reportedly in decline, while youth unemployment is on the rise.
The hope, it seems, is for the country’s younger generation, ‘Ama2000s’, to build back better.
The exhibition’s arrival comes at two important milestones in South Africa.
It’s been almost 50 years since the Soweto Student Uprising of 1976, and 30 since the country became a democracy.
NOW Gallery curator Kaia Charles told said: “We have chosen six exceptional artists who each provide a unique perspective and window into some of the most vibrant youth subcultural movements in South Africa today.
“A Young South Africa reveals a rich collage of visual and cultural identities of South African cities, 50 years after the Soweto student uprisings and 30 years into the new South African democracy.
“It was important for us to capture elements of South African culture that haven’t been widely depicted, which is why we have selected six of the country’s most exciting ‘Ama2000s’ [Gen Z] talent who are boldly and irreverently injecting a fresh creative energy into the global cultural scene through visual culture, music and fashion.”
The gallery’s annual Human Stories exhibition has built a reputation for uncovering and showcasing photography talent from around the world.
Among those whose work has previously been showcased as part of the series are Thandiwe Muriu, Charlotte Colbert and Stephen Tayo.
Of the images going on show in the latest Human Stories edition, Kaia says: “From Bee Diamondhead’s tender and sensitive ‘Back to the Soil’ series, in which she depicts three queer male musicians, to Karabo Mooki’s ‘Island Gals’ portraits which document Black female queer skateboarding communities in Johannesburg and Soweto, the works on show truly subvert and challenge stereotypes.
“We hope visitors come away with a view of South Africa that delves deeper than mainstream media depictions.”
A Young South Africa is showing at NOW Gallery, Soames Walk, London SE10 0SQ.
October 11 – 19. Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 7pm; Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday 11am – 4pm.
Admission: FREE.
www.nowgallery.co.uk/exhibitions/human-stories-a-young-south-africa
