The Brother Moves On / Hlabelela: It’s a New Mourning Nkush / 2016

Goodman Gallery Johannesburg 24 September – 8 October 2016

“Begin on the other side of discourse.” This was Michele Foucault’s solution to the problem of beginning – because for Foucault – in the very act of creating, the artist is already situated in a discourse governed by established institutional traditions.

The malleability of contemporary black traditions is at the core of The Brother Moves On’s first solo exhibition, Hlabelela, opening at Goodman Gallery Johannesburg on the 24th of September. The exhibition is one which questions each member’s personal histories, cultural background and beliefs as a means of unsettling the idea of a homogenised black experience and its acceptance by white art institutions and discourse. The performances, installations and videos exhibited serve not only as explorations of the complex identity of black youthful opposition but also a way in which to question whether these contemporary traditions can exist with the established traditions of art institutions and discourse.