ANC hopes and dreams laid waste as SA emerges as mockery of itself Ashraf Jamal on the ‘Promises and Lies’ Exhibition

“I HAVE written many art reviews, but never have I thought to reflect upon what an “exhibition” means. My decision to do so now stems from a visit to the Michaelis Gallery the other day, where a collection of photographs and a short film, entitled Promises and Lies, is on display.

Perhaps, it was the fact that the photographs and film were documentary in nature, or perhaps because in a Brechtian move, it was a display primarily rhetorical and pedagogical, but whatever it was that spurred my unease, it was clear the curators had done their job very well. I was, frankly, unnerved and despairing as I exited the gallery.

The title of the exhibition, Promises and Lies, precisely encapsulates the heart of the matter — that toxic mix of self-belief and treachery — for what we find on display is, first and foremost, the corruption of the Freedom Charter.”

Read the rest of Ashraf Jama’s article (Business Day Live) here.