in
situ
A
Group
Photography
Exhibition

Projects
14 Nov 2024 - 24 Jan 2025
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Oude Leeskamer and Goodman Gallery are pleased to present in situ, a group exhibition with work by David Goldblatt, Jabulani Dhlamini, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Ruth Motau and Nicola Brandt. Each of these artists offers a unique lens on architecture as both a vessel and residue of the cultural, political, and social forces shaping our environments.
By reimagining the built world not merely as physical spaces but as complex, storied landscapes, the exhibition examines how structures embody and influence the ideologies and histories that define them.

A relentless visual archaeologist, Goldblatt spent over half a century photographing South Africa’s landscape, uncovering the embedded narratives of spatial politics, ideological constructs, and social struggles that define the country.
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition

His work captures buildings and infrastructure not just as physical entities, but as manifestations of social divisions and cultural histories, illustrating how architecture reflects – and often reinforces – the complexities of power and inequality.

Similarly, Sobekwa’s photographs delve into the intimate, often hidden corners of his community in Thokoza, revealing the resilience and vulnerability within these spaces. His images transform township structures into symbols of survival and solidarity, documenting the way people shape, and are shaped by, their environment. Dhlamini’s work reflects a meditative exploration of spaces imbued with both personal and collective memory. His photographs convey a quiet, reverential quality, as his images often evoke the solemnity of sites where grief and memory coexist, suggesting that architecture can hold layers of unspoken histories and become a space of reflection and healing for those who encounter it.

in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
Brandt’s work in Namibia addresses the lingering shadows of colonial exploitation, positioning architecture as an echo of both cultural resilience and imposed histories.
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition

Her landscapes reflect a haunting beauty, as colonial buildings and infrastructure linger as physical reminders of a fractured past. Brandt's images invite viewers to consider how architecture bears the weight of historical trauma while simultaneously representing the strength and endurance of those who navigate its legacy.

Together, these artists reveal architecture as more than static buildings; rather, they suggest that architecture is an active archive – constantly reshaped by memory, power, and resistance. 'in situ' asks us to reconsider the structures around us as sites of encounter between past and present, personal and political.

Featured Artworks

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David Goldblatt
Kite flying, near Phuthaditjhaba, in the apartheid bantustan of Qwa Qwa. 1 May 1989 (4_5951), 1989
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David Goldblatt
House near Phuthaditjhaba. QwaQwa. 1 May 1989 , 1989
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David Goldblatt
A new shack under construction, Lenasia Extension 9, Lenasia, Johannesburg, 5 May 1990 4_6319, 5 May 1990
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David Goldblatt
Framework for a new dwelling, near Flagstaff, Transkei. 9 October 1975 , 1975
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David Goldblatt
Willem Voster with friends, family, home and garden, Merweville, Western Cape, 2 March 2009 (4_A0463) (4_A0467) , 2009
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David Goldblatt
Farmworker's housing and navigation beacon, Groenfontein, near Sutherland, Northern Cape. 17 August 2003 , 2003
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Jabulani Dhlamini
kwa-Msibi ekhaya elincane, eNkuthu, Ladysmith, 2021
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Jabulani Dhlamini
Ma-Shabalala, eNkuthu, Ladysmith, 2022
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Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Rebuilding , 2014
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Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Donkey Church, 2020
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Ruth Motau
Dobsonville hostel - Dobsonville, Soweto , 1997
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Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Khosova, 2018
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David Goldblatt
A farm worker’s house, Sonop, Winburg, Orange Free State. 24 August 1986 , 1986
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David Goldblatt
A widow’s home. She and her husband had worked for a white farmer. After her husband had died, she was told "to go". She settled in the Apartheid black area of Qwa Qwa, where she built her tenth house. Near Phuthaditjhaba, QwaQwa. 1 May 1989 , 1989
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Nicola Brandt
Ruins at the Khan Mine near Swakopmund, in a tributary of the Khan River, 2022
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David Goldblatt
Round dwelling, Rondavel, in stove and wood, Indawu, Kwazulu. 27 July 1989 , 1989
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Nicola Brandt
Passing Time, 2020
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Nicola Brandt
Shelter, 2011
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Nicola Brandt
Boundaries, 2011
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Ruth Motau
Untitled (Rubbled House, Topaz), 1997
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Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Clothing Line Ezilalini, 2018
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Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Top Zinto Tavern, 2018
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Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Kwa Ta Mneija, 2020
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
in situ - A Group Photography Exhibition
By uncovering these narratives, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on how built environments influence, and are influenced by, the complex forces that shape human identity and experience.

Artists

jabulani-dhlamini
Jabulani Dhlamini
Lindokuhle Sobekwa
David Goldblatt
nicola-brandt
Nicola Brandt
ruth-motau
Ruth Motau

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