A Spear to the Heart of South Africa
Nearly two decades after the demise of apartheid in South Africa, symbolized by snaking queues of first-time voters outside polling stations in 1994 and Desmond Tutu’s “Rainbow Nation” imagery, a satirical painting by a (white) artist of (black) President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed has also uncovered how deep social and racial schisms remain.
On May 10, an exhibition of works by Brett Murray opened at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg. Murray’s earlier satirical work mocked apartheid’s racist leaders and explored identity and culture. But his focus has turned to South Africa’s black leaders, corruption and nepotism.
One of the paintings, “The Spear,” depicted Zuma in the pose of Lenin on a famous Soviet poster, but with Zuma’s face and his genitals revealed — a reference to the president’s rape case (he was acquitted) and his many wives, a Zulu tradition.… Seguir leyendo »