In \u201cA Young South Africa,\u201d (at the NOW Gallery in London until November 19), work from six photographers and creatives document the diversity of style, talent and thriving subculture among the \u201cAma2000s\u201d, the South African term for Generation Z. But it also showcases the evolving cultural identity of a country that is itself young.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re only 29 years of a democracy,\u201d explained Karabo Mooki, one of the featured photographers, over video call. \u201cIt\u2019s such a young culture.\u201d Mooki\u2019s series on show, \u201cIsland Gals,\u201d documents a skateboarding community of young Black women in his hometown of Johannesburg. Established by 21-year-old skater Thato Moet, Island Gals provides a \u201csafe space\u201d for girls to come together and skate, explained Mooki.<\/p>\n
As a skateboarder himself, he had been aware of \u201cthe heavily dominant male cis environment\u201d of skateboarding and wanted to give visibility to the growing community of Black women represented by Island Gals. \u201cI felt there was a need to bring truth to light, documenting the evolution of the (skateboarding) culture, the narrative that has not been celebrated by mainstream media,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mooki\u2019s richly saturated portraits catch the skaters in still moments of connection, in parks, on streets, and other public spaces of the city where women too often face harassment and violence. Each image is accompanied by the woman\u2019s story, as told to Mooki \u2014 from struggles with mental health to standing up to sexist stereotypes in skateboarding. \u201cBlack women are often boxed up in society\u2019s preconceived stereotypes,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to celebrate the beauty of this community and the boundaries that Island Gals is pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooki, who has also documented the Black punk scene in the city\u2019s township of Soweto, as well as other local skateboarding groups, believes that \u201ccommunity is a cornerstone of Johannesburg\u2019s youth culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the photo series \u201cAfrogrunge\u201d, 26-year-old designer and creative director Anita Hlazo, along with photographer Luxolo Witvoet, take us to the townships of Langa and Nyanga in Cape Town. As a teenager, Hlazo harnessed her own style \u2014 mixing pop and grunge influences with studs, piercings, platform boots and second-hand clothes \u2014 to create the fashion label Afrogrunge.<\/p>\n
She described the style to CNN over email as \u201ca combination of culture and subculture,\u201d mixing inspirations from around the globe, and dressing in a way that is \u201cforeign within our daily, cultural norm.\u201d Afrogrunge, Hlazo said, shows that \u201cyouth culture in South Africa is aware of the global world, and if we don\u2019t manage to come for it, we bring it here and enjoy it for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The photographs on show explore the experience of being an \u201cAfrogrunge girl,\u201d featuring young women expressing themselves through alternative fashion and style, often in stark contrast to everyday urban surroundings.<\/p>\n
The photographer Fede Kortez, meanwhile, celebrates the aesthetics and identity of two other Cape Town neighborhoods \u2014 Bo-Kaap, a historical center of Cape Malay culture known for its colorfully painted houses, and Woodstock, acclaimed for its art scene \u2014 as well as the young people living there.<\/p>\n
Portraits on show from Johannesburg-based\u202fNikki Zakkas capture young people across South Africa gaining recognition for their talent, from musicians and football players to ballet dancers. \u201cMy aim was to showcase individuals who embody diverse facets of contemporary youth culture,\u201d the photographer told CNN, explaining that she collaborated with her subjects to portray them \u201cas they envisioned themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zakkas photographs the young creatives in places that have significant personal resonance: 24-year-old ballet and contemporary dancer Bhungane Mehlomakulu is captured in Sasolburg, where he grew up and discovered his passion for dance; indie musician Red Robyn is photographed at a shuttered beachfront amusement park in her home city of Durban.<\/p>\n
In\u202fthe series \u201cBack to the Soil,\u201d\u202fJohannesburg-based creative director Bee\u202fDiamondhead\u202fworked with photographer Travys Owen to portray three queer male musicians making waves in South Africa: Desire Marea, Muneyi and Thuthuka Sibisi. The images show the men nude, painted with clay and earth, with their poses resembling classical figurative sculptures. The portraits meditate on the musician\u2019s beauty, tenderness, care and vulnerability, as a direct counterbalance to the notion of toxic masculinity.<\/p>\n
With \u201cMy Liewe Land\u202f(My Great Land)\u201d,\u202fphotographer\u202fAart Verrips\u202fcelebrates South Africa\u2019s youth-led subcultures through vibrant, multicolored silhouette portraits. Featuring young people innovating in music, fashion and performance, including the local Amapiano music subgenre and voguing nights, Verrips uses his photography to turn them into iconic figures.<\/p>\n
The rising global popularity of Amapiano music, which emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s, was one of the catalysts for the exhibition. \u201cSouth African music at the moment is having a real resurgence, especially through the lens of Amapiano, and a lot of young people are connecting with the culture that way,\u201d said NOW Gallery\u2019s curator Kaia Charles, walking around the show. \u201cWe thought it would be good to expand out the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles, who once lived in Cape Town, praises the \u201cresilience\u201d of these young creatives, especially considering the challenges \u2013 the high cost of living, education and unreliable basic services \u2013 which they are faced with. \u201cFrom a creative industries point of view, South Africa is so avant garde, and I don\u2019t think a lot of people know that,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping through this show that people get to understand the wealth of talent that exists there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recent headlines from South Africa have reported national crises, from rolling blackouts to the highest unemployment rate in the world and housing shortages. But a new photography exhibition shines a spotlight on the rich landscape of innovation and contemporary culture led by young people in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":34939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,12],"tags":[7,30,14],"class_list":{"0":"post-34942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"category-entertainment","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-culture","11":"tag-entertainment"},"yoast_head":"\n