Lines of Sight

This exhibition was conceived to address global turmoil in various parts of the world, from Gaza and the DRC to Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ukraine, and the fight for LGBTQI+ rights in Uganda and Ghana, amongst others. At its heart is the question of what solidarity means in this moment, foregrounding the many ways in which the continued fight for dignity and equal rights in South Africa, following our transition to democracy, does not exist in isolation from, but is connected to, the struggles for freedom and human rights the world over.

LINES OF SIGHT is structured in parts. Each revolves around an individual artwork: Tumelo Mtimkhulu’s One final act of love (2023); Serge Alain Nitegeka’s film BLACK SUBJECTS (2012); and Olu Oguibe’s Sex Work is Honest Work (2023). Produced with a particular context in mind, each artwork explores the place of community and world-building therein, especially the need to empathise with those we do not necessarily know or have an immediate connection with. In responding to their own contextual specificities, each artist enables us to sit with difficulty, offering a series of potential strategies to deal with questions of personal and collective memory; strategies which may help to facilitate points of connection, thereby minimising the sense of isolation and paralysis faced by so many and, one hopes, empowering the global community to take action.