Exhibition | City Tales Durban
On Saturday 29 October, The Contemporary Archive Project exhibited at the In My City: City Tales Music & Art event at The Bond Shed, Point Waterfront. The featured visual artists were Paulo Menezes, Thobani K, Niamh Walsh-Vorster, Sibusiso Nzimande and Lindokuhle Ndlovu.
The works on display consisted of photographs from in-depth incubation projects each photographer had explored over the past several months. The bodies of work delve into the socio-economic milieu of the KZN province and celebrates, probes and presents real stories.
Through the photographs, themes of water, heritage, identity, race and land emerge. Juxtaposed to each other, the photographer’s creating photographic work in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), offer a glimpse into the multifaceted experience of KZN, from the inner city, to peri-urban and rural spaces.
Paulo Menezes’ work explores Durban’s beaches and its ever-changing uses and meanings. With the Indian Ocean as a backdrop, his work looks at migration and the Indian diaspora living in Durban, featuring small-scale fishing practices, to weekend family time along the promenade. He looks for intimate moments among those who frequent the beachfront.
Thobani K has been investigating the water issues in the area of Eskhebeni, Inanda, as well as connecting his family’s personal history with the space. He is also interested in finding sustainable solutions that are independent of government projects.
Niamh Walsh-Vorster’s work is focused on people and bodies of water, and their relations to it. The images comprise the Midmar Mile, the world’s largest annual open water race, to the Durban beach front during peak December time (also dated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where masks were legally necessary).
Sibusiso Nzimande explores masculinity through his love for fashion, Nzimande uses traditional motifs and garments, and photographs intimate portraits of men in vulnerable presentations.
Lindokuhle Ndlovu documents peri-urban and rural areas such as Estcourt (eMtshezi), to the inner city of Durban, and life of KwaMashu township, although his reach goes beyond. His images present a dream-life of spaces historically drenched in violence: a result of aparthied’s Group Areas Act and segregation laws. Ndlovu’s images court a romance with real life, while peeking inside the thin shroud that covers the socio-economic landscape of the KZN province, post-apartheid. These projects all inform a contemporary library of images, as part of CAP’s mission to safeguard and formalise image making as a vital capsule of history.
The works on display consisted of photographs from in-depth incubation projects each photographer had explored over the past several months. The bodies of work delve into the socio-economic milieu of the KZN province and celebrates, probes and presents real stories.
Through the photographs, themes of water, heritage, identity, race and land emerge. Juxtaposed to each other, the photographer’s creating photographic work in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), offer a glimpse into the multifaceted experience of KZN, from the inner city, to peri-urban and rural spaces.
Paulo Menezes’ work explores Durban’s beaches and its ever-changing uses and meanings. With the Indian Ocean as a backdrop, his work looks at migration and the Indian diaspora living in Durban, featuring small-scale fishing practices, to weekend family time along the promenade. He looks for intimate moments among those who frequent the beachfront.
Thobani K has been investigating the water issues in the area of Eskhebeni, Inanda, as well as connecting his family’s personal history with the space. He is also interested in finding sustainable solutions that are independent of government projects.
Niamh Walsh-Vorster’s work is focused on people and bodies of water, and their relations to it. The images comprise the Midmar Mile, the world’s largest annual open water race, to the Durban beach front during peak December time (also dated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where masks were legally necessary).
Sibusiso Nzimande explores masculinity through his love for fashion, Nzimande uses traditional motifs and garments, and photographs intimate portraits of men in vulnerable presentations.
Lindokuhle Ndlovu documents peri-urban and rural areas such as Estcourt (eMtshezi), to the inner city of Durban, and life of KwaMashu township, although his reach goes beyond. His images present a dream-life of spaces historically drenched in violence: a result of aparthied’s Group Areas Act and segregation laws. Ndlovu’s images court a romance with real life, while peeking inside the thin shroud that covers the socio-economic landscape of the KZN province, post-apartheid. These projects all inform a contemporary library of images, as part of CAP’s mission to safeguard and formalise image making as a vital capsule of history.
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