Miniclick: Giya Makondo-Wills
Event info
Miniclick is a monthly series of curated photographer talks, free beer and networking, curated by Sadie Catt. Places are free but limited so please book a seat.
Giya Makondo-Wills (b.1994) is a British-South African photographer who looks at identity, colonisation, race and the Western gaze. She studied at the University of South Wales (formerly Newport) in the U.K where she obtained a BA and MA in Documentary Photography.
She has also been exhibited and published internationally and has been commended for her work. She works with re contextualizing colonial archival collections alongside long term photographic projects. And continues to look at systems of power, how we can continue to re address colonial legacy and how our history effects life today.
Giya will discuss her project They Came From The Water While The World Watched. The work depicts indigenous South African Ancestral belief and Christianity, in relation to missionary activity and the colonisation of the country, addressing the long-term repercussions of 19th century European migration into South Africa. It discusses the attempted dismantling of Ancestral religion and its replacement with Christianity whilst considering documentary photography and the western gaze, and exploring the sanctity of keeping traditional beliefs alive and the adaptation to the world we know today.
The complex interplay between Christianity and Ancestral religion manifest within my own family, where it is common practice to call on God and The Gods. Being both British and South African, I address the clash of beliefs from the point of view of the coloniser and the colonised. Embodying a dual perspective and with an exploratory approach, I highlight the symbiotic relationship between cultural elements and the resilience of pre-colonial customs in as they adopt a modern guise. The title ‘They Came From The Water While The World Watched’ is a reference to the initial European migration and colonisation of South Africa and the Western world's indifference to the perpetration of this act.
See her website: https://www.giyamakondo-wills.com/
Event Organiser
- Name
- Michael Pritchard
- michael@rps.org
- Tel
- 0117 316 4474
Location
- Venue Information
-
All areas are fully accessible with a lift, ramps and restrooms on each floor. If you have any specific requirements, please contact us on RPSHouse@rps.org so we can assist you during your visit.
There is public parking in Paintworks. We also have reserved parking spaces we can make available for those with accessibility requirements. Please contact us in advance if you would like to reserve a space. From ground level there are lifts to reach RPS House on the raised ground floor.
- Cancellation policy
-
In the unlikely event that we have to cancel this event we will email you at the earliest opportunity. The RPS is unable to take any responsibility for expenses incurred by attendees.
- Address
-
RPS House
337-340 Paintworks
Arnos Vale
Bristol
BS4 3AR
- Website
- RPS website