Overview

A complete monograph accompanying the first retrospective exhibition of globally acclaimed South African artist Room by room, this striking catalogue of South African artist Sue Williamson’s major retrospective at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town takes readers on a walk through 45 years of her work. We begin with A Few South Africans (1983–1987), the iconic photo-etched and silk-screened portraits of women who fought for liberation from apartheid—a series now held in a number of international museum collections. From there, the reader moves through The Apartheid Years, Africa and her Colonisers, The Voices on the Street, No More Fairy Tales, Messages from the Moat, and The Story of District Six. Each room highlights a distinct theme. New York Times art critic Holland Cotter has called Williamson “a dynamic amazement.” Her work flows fluidly across a wide range of media, including drawing, printmaking, photography, video, and sculptural installation. Critical texts by award-winning writers Zoé Whitley and Sean O’Toole offer further insights into her practice. The final room In the Studio is wallpapered with a facsimile of the artist’s studio, featuring a timeline and vitrines containing press clippings, posters, photographs, tools, and objects from Williamson’s working life, and Sihle Sogaula’s text reflects on this archive. For anyone interested in how art can speak to power, in the courage of women, or in making collaborative work that resonates within a community, this is a must-have book.

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9788857254388

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Author Information

Zoé Whitley is an award-winning curator and writer based in London, UK. American-born, she has been Director of the nonprofit Chisenhale Gallery (2020-2025), and a museum curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (2003–13); Tate (2013–19); and Hayward Gallery (2019). In 2019, she curated Cathy Wilkes’ British Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale. Sean O’Toole is a writer, editor and curator based in Cape Town. He has published two books, edited three volumes of essays and written extensively about South African art, photography and architecture for various media outlets, including such publications as Frieze and ArtForum. Archivist, curator, and photographer Sihle Sogaula is a recipient of the University of Cape Town’s Accelerated Transformation of Academics Programme Scholarship, and was a 2022 resident at CritLab, a curatorial intensive in Ghana. Andrew Lamprecht is the Curator of Historical Paintings and Sculpture at the Iziko South African National Gallery, joining in 2021. Prior to this, he was senior lecturer in History and Discourse of Art at the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art. He has curated over 50 exhibitions. Sue Williamson was born in the UK in 1941 and emigrated with her family to South Africa in 1948. Working across printmaking, video and installation, Williamson started making art in the 1970s addressing apartheid, and social issues. Her work is held in such museum collections as the Tate Modern, MoMA NY and the Pompidou.

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