Conversation

Conversation (2018) reflects on the continued violence and trauma experienced in post-apartheid South Africa, drawing connections between historical oppression and contemporary events such as the Marikana Massacre and the Sharpeville Massacre. Rooted in personal memory, the work is informed by the artist’s father’s experiences as a political prisoner at Number Four prison on Constitution Hill, where many detainees endured severe physical and psychological abuse under apartheid law.

The series explores the relationship between oppression and power through human-animal hybrid figures. These forms symbolise both the oppressed and the oppressor, blurring distinctions between victim and perpetrator. Animalistic features drawn from exploited animals suggest violence, vulnerability, and survival, while also questioning who holds power within systems of domination.

In the drawings, the figures appear to be engaged in conversation with one another while simultaneously confronting the viewer with direct, unsettling gazes. The title Conversation suggests an exchange between survivors of violence and trauma, but also an appeal to the viewer for justice, recognition, and change. Through this tension, the work reflects on memory, brutality, and the lasting psychological effects of systemic oppression in South Africa.