Culture, Politics, Identity : The Visual Art of Indian South Africans

In South Africa our recent past is a sobering reminder of ways in which slips and silences in history can empower and marginalise people. A post-apartheid vision of an integrated society has necessitated the writing of an inclusive history imparting a sense of coherence and integrity to the nascent ‘rainbow nation’. This paper will highlight the art production of Indian artists from the eighties and nineties who dealt with issues of identity and politics within a trying socio-political climate. These art works have never been exhibited in South Africa and highlights the need for this marginalised body of work to be re-introduced into the new post-apartheid South African art historical narrative. As we embark on a program of regeneration and cultural pride in South Africa, the spaces for the examination of race-specific dialogue becomes critical. As I originate from this racial segment of South African society the need to investigate this aspect of the Indian community is imperative. As the paper deals with artifacts and cultural practices precisely as a result of their marginality, postcolonialism will be deployed as a theoretical framework within which, issues of cultural diversity and power relations will also be explored. The content of the paper which is part of a broader study, uses purposive sampling and surveys as a research methodology to explain and explore the constructs of culture, identity and politics. Further as an ‘insider’ to this research, I will also build on ethnography making reference to both the explicit and tacit cultural knowledge of the Indian artist