Picturing Change -Curating visual culture at post-apartheid universities B Schmahm(OUT OF PRINT NEW)

Picturing Change - Curating visual culture atpost-apartheid universities (Paperback) BrendaSchmahmann (OUT OF PRINT NEW)

Since South Africa's transition to democracy, manyuniversities have acquired new works of art that convey messages about theadvantages of cultural diversity, and engage critically with histories ofracial intolerance and conflict. Given concerns about the influence of Britishimperialism or Afrikaner nationalism on aspects of their inherited visualculture, most tertiary institutions are also seeking new ways to manage theirexisting art collections, and to introduce memorials, insignia or regalia,which reflect the universities' newfound values and aspirations. In PicturingChange, Brenda Schmahmann explores the implications of deploying the visualdomain in the service of transformative agendas and unpacks the complexities,contradictions and slippages involved in this process. She shows that althoughmost new commissions have been innovative, some universities have acquiredworks with potentially traditionalist - even backward-looking - implications.While the motives behind removing inherited imagery may be underpinned by adesire to unsettle white privilege, in some cases such actions can also serveto maintain the status quo. This book is unique in exploring the transformativeethos evident in the curation of visual culture at South African universities. Itwill be invaluable to readers interested in public art, the politics ofcurating and collecting, as well as to those involved in transforming tertiaryand other public institutions into spaces that welcome diversity.