We've written about Occupying the Gallery, the joint art initiative and mentoring programme of Mary Sibande and Lawrence Lemaoana. The premise is to take up residence somewhere in the city (the project began with single-purpose gallery spaces, and has since expanded) and create an active and open working environment that showcases both the end-result of artistic process, as well as the process itself. Through this ongoing project, Sibande and Lemaoana lift the veil, introducing artists from different backgrounds to the world of art and the myriad of spaces and opportunities therein.
Late 2023 saw Occupying the Gallery collaborate with David Krut Workshop (DKW), resulting in the group exhibition Reclaiming Quarters at David Krut's The Blue House gallery space. Sibande, Lusanda Ndita, and Hoek Swaratlhe worked with printer Sbongiseni Khulu on the series of works on show.
"This exhibition delves into the notion of "quarters" as a potent symbol of spatial control and the dehumanising conditions imposed on non-European people during South Africa’s apartheid era. The term "quarters" refers not only to the physical spaces – domestic workers' quarters, migrant labour hostels, and segregated townships – but also to the broader structures that shaped the personal and collective identities of millions. Through each artist’s unique lens, the works presented transform these spaces of oppression into sites of memory, resistance, and possibility," reads the exhibition text.
Mary Sibande
The working quarters in Sibande's work represent the invisible servitude imposed on black women doing domestic work during the apartheid era, who often lived in small, isolated spaces behind their white employers' homes. "Sibande reclaims these spaces, transforming them into symbols of endurance and dignity," reads the curatorial statement.Lusanda Ndita
South African men leaving their rural homelands to join the city's industrial workforce (following the passage of the Glen Grey Act in 1894) come to the fore in Ndita's work, highlighting the harsh realities of the migrant labour system. "Ndita’s work evokes both the loss and resilience of these men, honouring their struggles while critiquing the ongoing legacies of displacement," reads the curatorial text.Hoek Swaratlhe
The aftermath of the Group Areas Act of 1951 forms the focus of Swaratlhe’s work, reflecting on the forced relocations of non-European communities in South Africa to segregated townships like Soweto. These hastily constructed homes were designed to entrench racial divisions. Yet, as Swaratlhe reveals, these spaces which were initially intended as sites of control became hubs of community, resistance, and survival.Attend the opening of Reclaiming Quarters at David Krut's The Blue House on Sat, Oct 19 from 11:00.
