Artistic responses to violence against women and children in South Africa

Abstract: The purpose of my study is to investigate artistic responses to violence against women and children in South Africa. Through the writings of Mamphela Ramphele and others, I contextualise the epidemic crisis of violence in South Africa and ground the study within a social justice paradigm. Within this study, I show a range of ways that art and artists respond to the social injustices by analysing different artistic modes such as political art and activist art. Using the works of South African artists, like Sue Williamson, Judy Mason and Berni Searle, I present artistic examples of work that responds particularly to violence against women in the Truth and Reconciliation commission. In order to identify ways in which a deeper social awareness can be experienced through the artworks, I investigate the communicative power of an image by focusing on the tripartite relationship between the intention of the artist, the power of artworks and viewer’s responses. Particular artworks which explore themes of violence against women and children, by artists that include Sue Williamson, Berni Searle, Judy Mason, Diane Victor, Zanele Muholi and myself, are discussed through a qualitative, visual and comparative analysis. Each artist discussed within this study, has their own unique approach; however, there is a shared objective to utilise visual expressions as a communicative tool to heighten social consciousness and awareness of violence against women and children in South Africa.M.Tech. (Fine Art