46,5 x 70 cm
“Pasvang, Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison” is the result of three months Subotzky spent inside the walls of Pollsmoor Prison, an overcrowded correctional facility largely controlled by gangs. Through talking to the prisoners and the warders, teaching classes in photography to the inmates and documenting his experiences, Subotzky captured a unique perspective of the prisoners and the prison itself. Subotzky was working digitally, and a key feature of the Pollsmoor work was panoramic images in which he would stitch together a number of shots to give a 360-degree view of the jammed prison wards and spaces. While the desperate sense of beaten down men, caged within a harsh institutional environment is prevalent throughout the Vier Hoeke series, there are nonetheless moments that show the survival of the human spirit, even under the direst circumstances. “Pasvang, Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison” thus represents significantly more than a documentary insight into a prison, rather it is the documentation and culmination of Subotzky’s intervention undertaken in an attempt to understand and undermine power systems in South Africa.
Mikhael Subotzky’s (b. 1981, Cape Town, South Africa) film, video and photographic works examine the construction and internal structures of narratives concerning representation. His photographs and films frame the spontaneity of action and the stillness of portraiture through very precise compositions. Whether natural or artificial, the scenes are bathed in light that falls gracefully onto the grit and grime of interiors and exteriors alike. Subotzky’s work is very often a result of his immersion within communities and individuals traversing the penal system (Die Vier Hoeke – The Four Corners), everyday life in post-apartheid South Africa Umjiegwana (The Outside and Beaufort West) and the contemporary and historical structures of power. In publishing books alongside his exhibitions — Beaufort West (2008), Retinal Shift (2012) and, with Patrick Waterhouse, Ponte City (2014) — Subotzky’s oeuvre provides an invaluable insight into the power systems of South Africa.
At the halfway point along South Africa’s Highway N1, running from Cape Town to Johannesburg, sits the small town of Beaufort West...
Concerned with the early history of Singapore, Zai Kuning spent many years living with and researching the history of the Riau peoples who were the first inhabitants of Singapore...
A Visit To Studio Hanne Willmann: Clean Design That Evokes Emotions - IGNANT Name Studio Hanne WIllmann Images Clemens Poloczek Words Marie-Louise Schmidlin For Berlin-based product designer Hanne Willmann , one of the essential functions of furniture is to create an emotional response in its users...
At the halfway point along South Africa’s Highway N1, running from Cape Town to Johannesburg, sits the small town of Beaufort West...
David Goldblatt’s “Boksburg series” is a telling portrait of the small town that became a notorious symbol of racism in South Africa...
Zanele Muholi’s Potent Portrait of South Africa’s Queer Community | AnOther As their new exhibition opens in San Francisco, Zanele Muholi talks about their powerful photos of queer survivors of hate crimes, couples in everyday moments, and self-portraits referencing history February 02, 2024 Text Emily Steer Zanele Muholi creates potent portraits...
As a visual activist for the rights of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LBGTQI), Muholi’s photographs radically transgress the conventional perception of lesbian and transgender communities in South Africa...
The Royal House of Allure is a name of a safe house on mainland Lagos where members of the queer community in need of boarding, due to various circumstances, live together...
Temps Mort is the result of one year of mobile phone exchanges of still images and videos between the artist and a person incarcerated in prison...
With a habit of reading eight to ten books at the same time, Chong paints his two-foot tall novel covers through referencing an extensive reading list (accessible on Facebook) he has kept since 2006...
Prisons is part of a series of videos, entitled Our Body is a Weapon , representing individuals who affirm the body as a place of political and social resistance...
Another curious element is that it seemed that I was seeing images from the dreams I had that afternoon...