Opening: Between Darkness and Light: A Mid-Career Retrospective of the Photography of Jodi Bieber

Описание: Between Darkness and Light: A Mid-Career Retrospective of the Photography of Jodi Bieber was on show in the Main Building and Annex Gallery of Oliewenhuis Art Museum from 18 May until 9 July 2017. The exhibition was opened by exhibition curator Brenton Maart at 19:00 on Thursday, 6 April 2017.

The visual poetry and politics of humanity is the focus of photographer Jodi Bieber. I In a country like South Africa – with its history of apartheid, ambivalent transition to democracy, and fraught position today – there is no greater opportunity to envision the effects of these three very different periods on the people that call this country home. Between Darkness and Light, Bieber’s mid-career retrospective, spans the years from 1993 to 2014. The exhibition includes photographs from pivotal projects, with works selected from both celebrated and rarely seen series.

Photographs made in the period 1993 to 2004 explore the country of her birth; later works reflect on the intangible character of identity politics; and the most recent images challenge contemporary media stereotypes. Her visual language is distinctive in its fluidity and defies the rigid delimitations of photojournalism, documentary photography, and visual art.

Bieber writes that: “Through my projects I face the harshness and the resilience of the human spirit. I’ve learnt that we all have two sides and – depending on changing circumstances – one side might overshadow the other.”

Jodi Bieber's Biography

Jodi Bieber’s professional career began covering the 1994 Democratic Elections in South Africa for The Star Newspaper after attending three short courses at The Market Photography Workshop in Johannesburg.

A turning point in her career, was her selection to participate in the World Press Masterclass held in the Netherlands in 1996. This allowed her to travel the world on assignment for international magazines and NGO’s.

She has won numerous international awards including the Premier Award at World Press Photo in 2010.

During this time she continued to pursue her own projects and currently spends most of her time working this way.

Her four monographs ‘Between Dogs and Wolves – Growing up with South Africa’, 1996; ‘Soweto’, 2010; ‘Real Beauty’, 2014 and ‘Between Darkness and Light, Selected Works: South Africa 1994-2010’ are exhibited in solo and group shows locally and abroad.

Her photographs are housed in some significant collections like The Artur Walther Collection, The François Pinault Collection, Oliewenhuis Art Museum’ Collection, The Oppenheimer Collection; The Johannesburg Art Gallery, Iziko Museum's Collection; Jean-Paul Blachere Foundation.

She mentors photographic students who are developing long-term projects, lectures, and gives photographic workshops all over the world.

On the centenary anniversary of women's suffrage in the UK, the Royal Photographic Society named her as one of The Hundred Heroines, 2018.

End 2019, NY Times, CNN and The Sun (UK) included her photograph of Bibi Aisha in the top 100 photographs that influenced the previous decade.