MoMA Presents IMPRESSIONS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The exhibition Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now, drawn entirely from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, brings together nearly 100 prints, posters, books, and wall stencils by approximately 30 artists and collectives from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art that demonstrate the unusual reach, range, and impact of printmaking in South Africa during and after a period of political upheaval. From the earliest print, a 1965 linoleum cut by Azaria Mbatha, to screenprinted posters created during the height of the antiapartheid movement, to recent works by a younger generation that investigate a multiplicity of formats in the wake of apartheid, these works are striking examples of printed art as a tool for social, political, and personal expression. The exhibition is on view from March 23 to August 14, 2011. Among the artists included are Bitterkomix, Kudzanai Chiurai, Sandile Goje, William Kentridge, Senzeni Marasela, John Muafangejo, Cameron Platter, Claudette Schreuders, and Sue Williamson, with the majority of works and artists on view for the first time at MoMA and many for the first time within a U.S. museum. The exhibition Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now is organized by Judith B. Hecker, Assistant Curator, Department of Prints and Illustrated Books, The Museum of Modern Art.

During the oppressive years of apartheid rule in South Africa, black artists had limited access to opportunities for formal training. But far from quashing creativity and political spirit, these limitations gave rise to a host of alternatives, including studios, print workshops, art centers, schools, publications, and theaters open to all races; underground poster workshops and collectives; and commercial galleries that supported the work of all artists-making the art world a progressive force for social change. Printmaking, with its flexible formats, portability, relative affordability, collaborative nature, and democratic reach, was a catalyst in the exchange of ideas and the articulation of political resistance.

Impressions from South Africa is organized around five themes: the use of linoleum cut, which exemplifies the accessibility and bold expressiveness of printmaking; the suitability of printmaking, particularly screenprint and offset lithography, for disseminating political statement; the use of intaglio, which has a strong history of graphically narrative work full of political allusion; the integration of photography and printmaking to expand on the notion of the documentary; and, finally, the variety of topics and formats present in postapartheid printed works, many of which revitalize these other techniques and strategies

Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now. Prints from The Museum of Modern Art
March 23-August 14, 2011
The Paul J. Sachs Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries, second floor