Photography Exhibition
Exhibition Review
The name of the gallery is
the maboneng precincts groundbreaking museum of African Design, MOAD.
The name of the exhibition
is 21 ICONS South Africa.
The exhibition runs from
June 16 to August 17, Location, MOAD, 281-commissioner street, Johannesburg,
2094, Opening hours: 10am-5pm. Tuesday to Sundays.
MOAD is a venue that
embodies the forward thinking spirits of the project and provides visitors to
the exhibition with an audio-visual, interactive walk-through what showcases
the original portraits and accompanying short films.
The reason why I selected
this particular exhibition is because 21 Icons South Africa is based on the
belief that, in each of us, lies the potential to act as catalysts for profoundly
positive changes to our world.
Through sharing the
remarkable stories of people who have devoted their lives to struggle for the
greater good of mankind, it is hoped that new generations can be inspired to
follow in the proud footsteps of these iconic men and women.
The project was inspired by
the many people who have contributed to the success story that is South Africa
today - people like Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and FW de Klerk. However it
doesn't stop there. There are many other remarkable men and women who have
contributed significantly to turning South Africa into the 'Rainbow Nation'.
These include statesmen, artists, academics, musicians, human rights activists,
lawyers, businessmen and athletes. They come from all walks of life and it is
their inspiring stories that Adrian Steirn set out to document and photograph
the incredible men and women making a positive impact on their South African
communities in the 21st century. The concept slowly grew from a living room
idea to a global reality as the team grew in confidence with every shoot. And
the 21 Icons team has captured through photography, film and narrative. By
sharing these stories with the world the 21 Icons team hopes to achieve its
vision - to inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
Through a series of short
films and black-and-white photographic portraits, we are taken on a remarkable
journey that explores the goodness of the human spirit. It shows how ordinary
people have, quite simply, become extraordinary.
The list of 21 Icons is neither
definitive nor ranked in any order. They are people who have reached the
pinnacle of achievement in their fields of endeavor.
21 Icons South Africa
celebrates the lives of 21 extraordinary South Africans who have captured the
global imagination with their dignity, humanity, hard work and selfless
struggle for a better world.
We all have the potential to
be a Nelson Mandela, a Desmond Tutu. It is this simple yet powerful vision that
has driven photographer and filmmaker Adrian Steirn to create the 21 Icons
South Africa project. Making the project have a more contemporary relevance to
it.
The curator of the
exhibition is the creative director Harriet Pratten.
For the portrait, Tutu dances
on stage next to a ballerina's tutu, seemingly suspended in mid-air, like a
magician performing a magic trick. The image - two tutus side by side - conveys
the message that the world needs another Tutu. It aims to encourage everyone to
follow, in some way, in his remarkable footsteps and embodies his playful yet
thoughtful traits that the world has come to know and love.
He got up on the stage,
danced around the tutu - he almost broke the tutu and he had all of us in
stitches of laughter. I think that's his magic. He makes every single person
around him feel better about themselves Says Steirn.
Desmond Tutu has been a
blessing and inspiration to countless people, here and abroad, through his
ministry; his acts of compassion; his prophetic witness; and his political
engagement.
Adrian Steirn’s portrait of Karel Benadie
Adrian Steirn’s portrait of Nelson Mandela
Exhibition Review
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