Sibusiso Bheka, 2015, At night, they walk with me, Thokoza, South Africa
FREE FROM MY HAPPINESS
By South African photographers
Sibusiso Bheka / Tshepiso Mazibuko / Lindokuhle Sobekwa
At the Johannesburg Art Gallery
15 May – 15 August 201
Johannesburg, South Africa
At Perignem
15 – 17 April 2016
Beernem, Belgium
At The International Photo Festival Ghent 2015
Sint-Pietersabdij (Saint Peter’s Abbey), Ghent, Belgium
Curated by Belgium photographers Tjorven Bruyneel and Bieke Depoorter
Exhibition within the framework of the Of Soul and Joy project
Book published on the occasion of the exhibition, essays by Sean O’Toole
“Free from my Happiness” is a group show by South African photographers Sibusiso Bheka, Tshepiso Mazibuko and Lindokuhle Sobekwa who grew up in the township of Thokoza in South Africa. They got introduced to photography in 2012 through the Of Soul and Joy project initiated in the township by Rubis Mécénat Cultural Fund. They use photography to portray their environment, telling stories they feel close to. Invited by the first International Photo Festival in Ghent, their works are shown for the first time in Europe in the exhibition “Free from my Happiness” curated by Belgium photographers Tjorven Bruyneel and Bieke Depoorter. The exhibition will return to Belgium in 2016 in Berneem before going to the Johannesburg Art Gallery in South Africa.
In zulu, Thokoza means happiness. Cameras in hand, Bheka, Mazibuko and Sobekwa decided in 2012 to “bear witness” to their everyday life as an escape and in the search of freedom: born after 1994, at the same time as democracy, they are part of the “Born Free” generation, as they are called in South Africa.
Sibusiso Bheka - At night, they walk with me
Sibusiso Bheka was born in 1997 in Thokoza, South Africa. In 2012, he was introduced to photography in high school through the Of Soul and Joy project. He then joined Live magazine as a part time photographer. In 2013, Bheka was part of the group show “In Thokoza” organised by Rubis Mécénat Cultural Fund within the frame of the Of Soul and Joy project at the Ithuba Arts Gallery in Johannesburg. His work was exhibited in 2014 at Addis Foto Fest in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The work of Sibusiso Bheka documents his environment by night. In his series, At night, they walk with me, Bheka captures moments of life in his native Thokoza which has been his playground since his childhood and where he likes to wander. He also refers to the stories of spirits recounting that when a child plays at night, he is playing with ghosts; a reason for adults to take the kids off the streets late at night. Bheka gives us to see his reality of Thokoza, his playful moments almost surreal just before light disappears.
Tshepiso Mazibuko - Encounters
Tshepiso Mazibuko was born in 1995 in Thokoza, South Africa. In 2012, she was introduced to photography in high school through the Of Soul and Joy project, which, in 2014, awarded her a scholarship to pursue her photography studies at the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg. In 2013, Mazibuko’s work was exhibited in the group show “In Thokoza” organised by Rubis Mécénat Cultural Fund within the frame of the Of Soul and Joy project at the Ihuba Arts Gallery in Johannesburg.
Tshepiso Mazibuko is inspired by her immediate surroundings. She documents Thokoza by telling stories of people who live close to her. With her series Encounters she raises questions on the divisions within her community, the lingering apartheid stigma, the misconceptions around the hostels* and free-households in her area. Mazibuko features portraits of people in their homes.
*Hostels are dormitories for migrant workers reserved for men until recently. The living conditions are very difficult. They are located in the township areas in South Africa.
Lindokuhle Sobekwa - Nyaope. Everything you give me my Boss, will do
Lindokuhle Sobekwa was born in 1995 in Katlehong Johannesburg, South Africa. He currently lives and works in Thokoza. In 2012, he was introduced to photography in high school through the Of Soul and Joy project. He then joined Live magazine as a part time photographer. His work has been exhibited, among others, at the Kalashnikovv gallery in South Africa and at the No Man’s Art Gallery in the Netherlands, in South Africa and in Norway. In 2013, Sobekwa was part of the group show “In Thokoza” organised by Rubis Mécénat Cultural Fund within the frame of the Of Soul and Joy project at the Ihuba Arts Gallery in Johannesburg. His essay Nyaope was published in 2014 in South African newspaper the Mail & Guardian.
The work of Lindokuhle Sobekwa documents social issues that affect the communities of the townships. In his Nyaope series, he offers the viewer a glimpse into the world of the nyaope users, a highly addictive drug that can contain anything form detergent, rat poison and crushed Anti-Retroviral drugs. Nyaope has gained popularity among young black South Africans and only recently South African Authorities classified it as a drug. Sobekwa documents the life of the nyaope users and the impact it has on their community.
Catalogue
