A fragile archive: Refiguring | Rethinking | Reimagining | Re-presenting Gladys Mgudlandlu
Date
2014-02-12
Authors
Ntombela, Nontobeko Mabongi
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Abstract
A Fragile Archive: Refiguring | Rethinking | Reimagining | Re-presenting Gladys
Mgudlandlu
This thesis examines the exhibition archive of Gladys Mgudlandlu in order to
understand how archives contribute to the writing of artists’ biographies. This is done
through two integral methods. The first method is the theoretical research and writing,
and the second is curating as another form of critical research. Both these methods
elaborate on how archives function as a conduit to understanding the way in which an
artist’s biography has been written. Structured in four chapters, the thesis explores
how Mgudlandlu’s exhibition archive within the broader historical context is
reflective of a specific social, cultural and political space within the arts. Examining
this exhibition archive enabled ways of exploring and understanding limitations and
complexities surrounding this artist’s biography. To this end, the archive provided
ways to study, analyse and frame Mgudlandlu’s contribution within South African art
practices and discourses in a more critical way.