The Work of Thabiso Sekgala

WORDS Cheri Morris

Goodman Gallery showcased critically acclaimed photographer Thabiso Sekgala’s Second Transition series at the fifth annual Cape Town Art Fair.

The late Johannesburg-based artist’s visually arresting body of work was exhibited in the Tomorrows/Today section of the Cape Town Art Fair this past February. Thabiso was known and acclaimed for his ability to tell meaningful stories through his work. The subject matter of Second Transition was photographed in and around the small mining town of Rustenburg and explores themes of abandonment, spatial politics, memory and the concept of home.

The title of this series refers to the ANC’s initiative to address the country’s inequalities in terms of economics and standards of living. Thabiso also explores his feelings toward the Marikana Massacre in 2012 and the imprisonment of poor people through the poverty that is inflicted upon them.

Thabiso studied at Johannesburg’s Market Photo Workshop from 2007 to 2008 and was awarded the Tierney Fellowship in 2010. He held solo exhibitions in Johannesburg, Berlin and Brussels and had residencies in both the Kunsterhaus Bethanien in Berlin and at HIWAR/Durant Al Funun in Jordan. His work continues to be loved and revered the world over.

He once said: “In photography I am inspired by looking at human experience whether lived or imagined. Images capture our history and who we are, our presence and absence.”