THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PAST BLACK AND WHITE: THE COLOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1994-2004 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF THE HUMANITIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF ART HISTORY BY LESLIE MEREDITH WILSON CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2017 PAST BLACK AND WHITE: THE COLOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1994-2004 * * * LIST OF FIGURES iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv ABSTRACT xx PREFACE “Colour Photography” 1 INTRODUCTION Fixing the Rainbow: 8 The Development of Color Photography in South Africa CHAPTER 1 Seeking Spirits in Low Light: 40 Santu Mofokeng’s Chasing Shadows CHAPTER 2 Dignity in Crisis: 62 Gideon Mendel’s A Broken Landscape CHAPTER 3 In the Time of Color: 100 David Goldblatt’s Intersections CHAPTER 4 A Waking City: 140 Guy Tillim’s Jo’burg CONCLUSION Beyond the Pale 182 BIBLIOGRAPHY 189 ii LIST OF FIGURES All figures have been removed for copyright reasons. Preface i. Cover of The Reflex, November 1935 ii. E. K. Jones, Die Voorloper, 1939 iii. E. B. King, The Reaper, c. 1935 iv. Will Till, Outa, 1946 v. Broomberg and Chanarin, Kodak Ektachrome 34 1978 frame 4, 2012 vi. Broomberg and Chanarin, Shirley 2, 2012 vii. Broomberg and Chanarin, Ceramic Polaroid Sculpture, 2012. viii. Installation view of Broomberg and Chanarin, The Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement at Goodman Gallery, 2013. ix. “Focusing on Black South Africa: Returning After 8 Years, Kodak Runs into White Anger” illustration, by Donald G. McNeil, Jr., The New York Times x. Gisèle Wulfsohn, Domestic worker, Ilovo, Johannesburg, 1986. Introduction 0.1 South African Airways Advertisement, 1973. 0.2 South African Airways Advertisement, 1973. 0.3 “Color Photography” display at the Bensusan Museum of Photography, May 2016 0.4 C. L. Van Hasselt, Untitled, tricolour print, recto 0.5 C. L. Van Hasselt, Untitled, tricolour print, verso 0.6 Redacted text in Omar Badsha’s speech for South Africa: A Cordoned Heart, 1986 iii Chapter 1 1.1 Santu Mofokeng, Laying of Hands, Johannesburg Soweto Line, 1986 1.2 Santu Mofokeng, Book, Johannesburg Soweto Line, 1986. 1.3 Santu Mofokeng, Church of God, Motouleng, Free State, 1996. 1.4 Santu Mofokeng, Entrance to Motouleng Sanctum, Clarens, Free State, 1996. 1.5 Santu Mofokeng, from “On the Tracks,” 1994. 1.6 Jo Ractliffe, Roadside stall on the way to Viana, 2007. 1.7 Jo Ractliffe, Military cache south of Dombe Grande, 2010. 1.8 Santu Mofokeng, Robben Island as You’ve Never Seen it Before, 2002. 1.9 Santu Mofokeng, Mautse Landscape, Ficksburg, Free State, c. 2006. 1.10 Margaret Bourke-White, “South African and its Problem,” Life, September 18, 1950. 1.11 Margaret Bourke-White, “South African and its Problem,” Life, September 18, 1950. 1.12 David Goldblatt, The Last of the bigger rocks has just been dropped into a kibble. Now, with shovels, the team ‘lashes’ (loads) the small stuff into the kibble, 1973. 1.13 Santu Mofokeng, Sangoma Sisters Gladys and Cynthia Leading Initiates in the Afternoon Ingoma, 1996. 1.14 Santu Mofokeng, Buddhist Retreat Near Ixopo, 2003. Chapter 2 2.1 Gideon Mendel, “Police attack demonstrators in central Johannesburg on the day that ANC fighter Benjamin Moloise was hanged,” October 1995. 2.2 Gideon Mendel, “Winnie Mandela defies her banning order by attending the funeral of one of her supporters,” November 1985, Brandfort, Orange Free State. iv 2.3 Gideon Mendel, “The mass funeral held at Kwanobuhle Stadium for 28 victims of the Uitenhage Massacre,” April 1985, Uitenhage. 2.4 Gideon Mendel, “Police attack demonstrators with sjamboks during the outbreak of street protests that accompanied the Pollsmoor march,” August 1985, Cape Town. 2.5 Cover of the booklet “A Broken Landscape: HIV and AIDS in Africa” by Gideon Mendel in Reportage (Summer 1998) 2.6 From “A Broken Landscape: HIV and AIDS in Africa” by Gideon Mendel in Reportage (Summer 1998) 2.7 From “A Broken Landscape: HIV and AIDS in Africa” by Gideon Mendel in Reportage (Summer 1998) 2.8 From “A Broken Landscape: HIV and AIDS in Africa” by Gideon Mendel in Reportage (Summer 1998) 2.9 Cover of the book A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel 2.10 From the photo essay featuring Samkelisiwe Mkhwanazi in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 24-25 2.11 From the photo essay featuring Samkelisiwe Mkhwanazi in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 26-27 2.12 From the photo essay featuring Samkelisiwe Mkhwanazi in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 28-29 2.13 From the photo essay featuring Samkelisiwe Mkhwanazi in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 30-31 2.14 From the photo essay featuring Mzokhona Malevu in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 68-69 v 2.15 From the photo essay featuring Mzokonah Malevu in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 82-83 2.16 From a photo essay featuring “Nazareth House. Cape Town, South Africa” in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 138-139 2.17 Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) march during the “Breaking the Silence” International AIDS Conference in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 194-195 2.18 Chris Ledochowski, Peter Tosh Hall, Site C, Khayelitsha, 1998, from Cape Flats Details 2.19 Chris Ledochowski, House and Garden, KTC, 1998, from Cape Flats Details 2.20 Chris Ledochowski, ‘Rampies Sny’ ceremony, Heideveld, 1993 2.21 Chris Ledochowski, KTC Squatter Camp, Guguletu, Cape Town, 1984 2.22 Zwelethu Mthethwa, Untitled from the Interiors series, 1999 2.23 Zwelethu Mthethwa, Untitled from Interiors series, 1999 2.24 Zwelethu Mthethwa, Untitled, 1996 2.25 Zwelethu Mthethwa, Untitled, from Interiors, c. 1995-2005 2.26 Zwelethu Mthethwa, Untitled, from Interiors, c. 1995-2005 2.27 Gideon Mendel, “The Wards,” in Positive Lives, 1993 2.28 Township AIDS Project Poster featuring Simon Nkoli in a photograph by Tom Swart 2.29 Township AIDS Project Poster featuring Simon Nkoli in a photograph by Tom Swart 2.30 “Calling All Freedom Fighters” poster produced by Wola Nani Embrace 2.31 From the photo essay featuring Joseph Gabriel in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel 2.32 Sam Nzima, Mbuyiswa Makhubu carrying wounded Hector Pieterson followed by Antoinette, Soweto 16 June 1976 vi 2.33 William Kentridge Tide Table installation view at Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo, 2006 2.34 Zapiro, “Champion of the New Struggle,” The Sowetan, June 5, 2001 2.35 Zapiro, “The New Struggle,” June 15, 2006 2.36 “HIV/AIDS Treatment Plan Now,” Treatment Action Committee poster, c. 2000s 2.37 From the photo essay featuring Mzokonah Malevu in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel 2.38 Gideon Mendel, “Mzokonah Malevu who was severely ill with AIDS related infections is carried by his brother through the squatter camp the family lives in to the nearby road where he can get into a vehicle which will take him to the local clinic,” October 2000. 2.39 From the “Ford assembly plant. Silverton, South Africa,” in A Broken Landcape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 140-141 2.40 From “Lonmin Mine. Rustenberg, South Africa,” in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 142-143 2.41 “Hostel for 30,000 miners working away from their facilities, Lonmin Platinum Mines, South Africa,” in A Broken Landscape (2001) by Gideon Mendel, pp. 144-145 2.42 David Goldblatt, Victoria Cobokana, housekeeper, in her employer’s dining room with her son Sifiso and daughter Onica, Johannesburg, 1999. Victoria died of AIDS 13 December 1999, Sifiso died of AIDS 12 January 2000, Onica died of AIDS in May 2000, 1999 2.43 Gisèle Wulfsohn, Clothing Designers Shanie Boerstra and Jerome Argue, Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria, 1985 2.44 Gisèle Wulfsohn, Whites Only Beach, Durban, 1987 2.45 Gisèle Wulfsohn, Nkosi Johnson, 1999, from the series Living Openly 2.46 Gideon Mendel, from Framing AIDS, c. 2000-2005 vii Chapter 3 3.1 Installation view of David Goldblatt: Photographs from South Africa, 1998 3.2 Installation view of David Goldblatt: Photographs from South Africa, 1998 3.3 David Goldblatt, Lavatories, Frankfort Resettlement Camp, Ciskei. 12 July 1983 3.4 David Goldblatt, Young Man with a Pass, Soweto, South Africa, 1972 3.5 A “Beauty Spot” in Fair Lady, March 1965 3.6 Advertisement for South African Airways, c. 1973. 3.7 David Goldblatt, Saturday Morning at the Hypermarket: Semi-final of the Miss Lovely Legs Competition, Boksburg, June 28, 1980 3.8 Cover of Drum magazine, November 1977 3.9 “Mourners gather to pay their last respects as Steve Biko's body lies in state in his home before the funeral, attended by 20,000 mourners at King William's Town. 1977.” Drum, 1977. 3.10 “1977 Abroad: The Camera’s View.” New York Times 3.11 Vintage postcard for Sun City 3.12 A poster from the “Life Under Apartheid” series 3.13 “From Slums of Mere Existence to Comfort of Ordered Life” in Panorama from November 1960 3.14 “New Chances for Self-Rule” in South African Scope from June 1958 3.15 David Goldblatt, Plastic Shelters, KTC Squatter Camp, Cape Town, 1984 3.16 Installation view of Intersections Intersected: The Photography of David Goldblatt at The New Museum in 2009 3.17 David Goldblatt, Squatter camp, Woodstock, Cape Town, 22 August 2006 3.18 View of the “Extended Captions” in Intersections Intersected viii 3.19 Installation view of Intersections Intersected: The Photography of David Goldblatt at The New Museum in 2009 3.20 David Goldblatt, Monuments celebrating the Republic of South Africa and JG Strijdom, former prime minister, with the headquarters of Volkskas Bank, Pretoria.