Biographical and Curatorial narration of a black artist from the Vaal region: 1980-1994 reflection on the works of Gamakhulu Diniso

Abstract

The absence of black visual artists of the Vaal region from the literature of art in South Africa from 1980-1994 is of serious concern, especially in view of their participation and contribution to the artistic, cultural and socio-political developments that took place during this period. This absence has contributed towards the marginalization of artists, whilst it also distorts readers' knowledge and deprives them of access to the contribution that this black artist and other black artists made to the corpus of South African art and to the art world, in general. It is this absence that inspired me as a researcher to narrate the life and artistic journey of Diniso Gamakhulu, through a combination of biographical writing and curatorial practice. The study employs two essential methods, namely written theoretical reflection, and curatorial projects as a way of remembering the much-contested slogan for liberation from the apartheid era: "culture as a weapon of the struggle" (Pissarra 2011 :3). Both methods elucidate the way in which archives are significant in narrating the biography of an artist. The use of archival material provided ways to study analyze and frame Diniso's contribution critically within South African art practices, art discourses, and curatorial practices.