Solemnly Censored

June 20, 2022 - June 24, 2022

Online

This exhibition, titled Solemnly Censored, developed as an inter departmental and inter-faculty collaborative project in collaboration with the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute. By embracing the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic, various imagery of protest, violence, hate speech, murders and socio-political (in)differences, students were encouraged to draw inspiration from what they and/or the world perceive as injustices. Often artists are not recognised or appreciated for their contributions in their own lifetime. Often their messages are not in-line or accepted by the power-structures that the artists aim to address. However, these works are necessary to unite a group of marginalised people in society and to educate those who might not be aware, or, who might be ignorant of certain societal issues.

By using Chief Albert Luthuli’s life and narrative as a point of departure, students had to critically and creatively identify a challenge or issue present in their real-life context. Through introspective discovery, students grounded their work within a contemporary South African (and in many cases global) situation and developed their own artistic voices. The chosen themes ranged from situations surrounding their identity, such as body image or shame; mental-health related challenges such as Anxiety and Depression; challenges faced during lockdown, including access to hygiene or smuggling of commodities, such as cigarettes or alcohol, often resulting in corruption; religious debates; socio-cultural politics; targeted sexual and gender-based violence and abuse; or other personal struggles. However, all works created also carried messages of hope and encouragement.

The focus of this project was and continues to be on process, rather than final product. We are of the conviction that it is more important for students to develop certain skills that they can critically and creatively apply in a number of situations, than focusing only on a specific outcome. Furthermore, experience has shown that students learn best through doing. By being actively engaged in the process and having to find solutions to specific real-life challenges, students become holistically involved in the process of learning.

The aim of this project is to empower students to maximise (completely develop and fully utilize) their human potential (fundamental human virtues) through facilitating lifelong authentic learning (resolving real-life challenges) in order to create a safe, sustainable and prosperous future for their communities.

Exhibition walkthrough: