Impressions from South Africa. 1965 to Now

Printmaking has been a driving force in contemporary South African art and political expression. Based entirely on the Museum´s collection, Impressions from South Africa explores this vital work, beginning with the vigorous, socially oriented linoleum cuts made by Azaria Mbatha, John Muafangejo, and Charles Nkosi in the 1960s and 1970s and continuing with antiapartheid posters from the 1980s and nuanced political work by Sue Williamson, Norman Catherine, and William Kentridge, engaged in the same struggle. More recent projects-etchings by Diane Victor, comic books by Bitterkomix, digital prints by Cameron Platter, and others-address ongoing social issues and explore new subjects, while linoleum cuts by younger artists-Paul Edmunds, Senzeni Marasela, and Vuyile Voyiya-demonstrate the medium´s continuing relevance in South Africa today. Judith Hecker, Assistant Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books at the Museum, contributes an introduction, biographies of the artists, publishers, and printers, and a timeline of relevant events in South Africa.