Sue Williamson and Lebohang Kganye: Tell Me What You Remember

Two renowned South African artists, Sue Williamson (b. 1941) and Lebohang Kganye (b. 1990), explore history, memory, and the power of self-narration through their cross-generational dialogue. Their works incorporate oral histories into film, photographs, installations, and textiles, addressing racial violence, social injustice, and intergenerational trauma. The book features essays and a dialogue between the artists, highlighting how art can mobilize the healing powers of conversation. The exhibition will be held at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia from March 5 to May 21, 2023.

Format: Hardback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 28 March 2023
Publisher: Yale University Press

Three decades after the beginning of the dismantling of apartheid, the so-called "born free" generation of South Africa has reached adulthood, and its artists have used their work to navigate their complex legacy. At the same time, the historical distance between their experience and that of an older generation continues to grow. This book brings together two of South Africa's most acclaimed contemporary artists, Sue Williamson (b. 1941) and Lebohang Kganye (b. 1990), to reflect upon this pivotal moment. In their respective practices, Williamson and Kganye incorporate oral histories into film, photographs, installations, and textiles to explore how, just as formal statements shape collective histories, so the stories our elders tell us shape family narratives and personal identities.

Exploring the complexities involved in the transmission of memories, their works implicitly and explicitly address racial violence, social injustice, and intergenerational trauma. This richly illustrated catalogue features essays that consider themes of voice, testimony, ancestry, and care, and a dialogue between Kganye and Williamson that explores how art can mobilize the healing powers of conversation.

Distributed for the Barnes Foundation

Exhibition Schedule:

The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
(March 5–May 21, 2023)

Weight: 764g
Dimension: 195 x 262 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300269857