David Goldblatt investigates South African sociocultural influences on architecture in this preview of the upcoming “Johannesburg” episode from Season 9 of the “Art in the Twenty-First Century” television series.
Shown photographing a building in the Sandton area of Johannesburg, the artist points to race conflicts as a factor that helped shape the landscape of the city. “In this country, because of the nakedness of the struggles that took place between Black and White,” said Goldblatt, “the structures that emerged were amazingly clear demonstrations of value systems.”
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David Goldblatt was born in Randfontein, South Africa, in 1930. Since the early 1960s, Goldblatt photographed the people, landscapes, and architectural structures of South Africa, using photography as a means of social criticism. Chronicling South Africa during apartheid, Goldblatt’s powerful monochrome photographs reveal the stark contrast between the lives of Blacks and Whites as well as the ways that public structures have manifested the citizens’ self-image. Goldblatt lived and worked in Johannesburg, where he passed away in June 2018.
Learn more about the artist at:
https://art21.org/artist/david-goldblatt/
“Johannesburg” from Season 9 of “Art in the Twenty-First Century” premieres September 21 at 9:00 p.m. on PBS.
Learn more about the new season at:
https://art21.org/season9
