Mikhael Subotzky

The history of documentary photography plays a decisive role in Mikhael Subotzky’s work. At an early age, the artist was exposed to the activist work of his uncle, Gideon Mendel, one of South Africa’s notable “struggle photographers,” and he grew up in a milieu of commitment to social democracy.

Subotzky’s most recent project, Beaufort West (2006–08), premiering in North America in this exhibition, is named after a small town in the Karoo Desert along the busy route between Cape Town and Johannesburg. The Beaufort West Prison, established in 1873, is blatantly visible in the community, oddly situated in a traffic circle in the center of town. Subotzky’s images portray life inside and outside the prison, focusing on the disparity between the city’s affluent neighborhoods and its fringes that are plagued by endemic poverty. The town’s social problems include petty theft, youth prostitution, and a very high rate of unemployment. Taken with a medium‑format camera in existing light, the pictures articulate multiple narratives. His scenes are at once introspective and direct, reflecting both the individual and the systemic aspects of South Africa’s colonialist legacy in the postapartheid age.

Interview:
http://aperture.org/store/mag-webex-subotzky.html

Link to Supportive Gallery:
www.moma.org

Link To Website:
http://www.imagesby.com/main.html