Johannesburg-based artist and photographer Mikhael Subotzky has long been exploring the interplay between landscape, structure, and time – delving into the complexities and politics of image-making in a country with a history as fraught as South Africa’s. His latest series, currently on show at Goodman Gallery’s Cape Town space, is entitled ‘Home Building Ideas for South Africa (or a Cape Town Landscape)’. It is comprised of a series of photographs, installations, paintings, and video works that interrogate the tangled and enduring social structures prevalent in Cape Town. It explores both their historical roots and current impact, juxtaposing the natural beauty of the landscape with the harsh realities faced by many of its citizens. While the show stands out as an impressive and engaging exhibition on its own, it also serves as a valuable reference point for examining the artist’s broader body of work and practice.
When entering ‘Home Building Ideas for South Africa (or a Cape Town Landscape)’ through the large arches of the gallery, the viewer is immediately greeted by the sound of a folk band, which acts as the soundtrack for the entire exhibition as it echoes through its halls. The recording is that of the band that Subotzky’s father was a part of in the 1970s and is accompanied by a video projected onto the back of the cello his father used to play. The work, a video installation entitled 'The Occult Significance of Blood', depicts various images from the artist’s childhood. Subotzky has described his relationship with his father as a troubled one, which can be sensed in this work. We are shown pictures of the artist as a child playing the very cello the images are displayed on, as well as various other slightly distorted images of his family and upbringing. The often-somber face of a young Subotzky is contrasted with the folk music, which while cheerful at some moments, possesses an underlying melancholic and haunting quality.
