ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sethembile Msezane - Artist
Sethembile Msezane deconstructs the act of public commemoration -- how it creates myths, constructs histories, includes some and excludes others.

Why you should listen

With masked face and powerful gestures, Sethembile Msezane disrupts and deconstructs the process of commemorative practice in South Africa, demanding space next to colonial-era statues for her country's, and her gender's, erased histories. In one iconic work, she performed at the removal of the John Cecil Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town ("Chapungu: The Day Rhodes Fell," 2015), and starting in 2013 she performed a series of pieces called "Public Holiday" that place her body in contrast to colonial-era monuments in Cape Town's CBD.

Msezane is a ANTI Festival International Prize for Live Art nominee (2017). She is the TAF & Sylt Emerging Artist Residency Award winner (2016), and she is the first recipient of the Rising Light award at the Mbokodo Awards. She is also a a Barclays L’Atelier Top 10 Finalist (2016). Her 2017 solo show at Gallery MOMO is titled "Kwasuka Sukel: Re-imagined Bodies of a (South African) '90s Born Woman", and features sculptural work that places colonial images in the context of Victorian-style furniture and dress, reframing and reclaiming a part of colonial history. She was one of the selected artists for gallery solo projects at the FNB Joburg Art Fair (2017), and her work is currently housed in the Zeitz MOCAA collection as well as Iziko South African National Gallery's collection.

Selected group shows include "Women's Work and The Art of Disruptions" at the Iziko South African National Gallery (2016), "Dis(colour)ed Margins" at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (2017), "Re[as]sisting Narratives" at Framer Framed, Amsterdam (2016), "Dance, if you want to enter my country!/ Global Citizen" at GoetheOnMain, Johannesburg (2016), "Nothing Personal" at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, #theopening at Greatmore Studios, Cape Town (2016) and "Translations" at Emergent Art Space and Reed College, Portland, Oregon (2015).

More profile about the speaker
Sethembile Msezane | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2017

Sethembile Msezane: Living sculptures that stand for history's truths

Sethembile Msezane: Esculturas vivas que representam verdades da história

Filmed:
1,173,604 views

Nas estátuas centenárias que ocupam a Cidade do Cabo, Sethembile Msezane não encontrou nada que se parecesse com a sua própria realidade. Então ela mesma se tornou uma escultura viva, mantendo-se durante horas em espaços públicos, vestida com roupas simbólicas, para reivindicar a cidade e os espaços públicos para a comunidade dela. Nesta palestra poderosa, cheia de força, ela compartilha as histórias e a motivação por trás de sua arte performática fascinante.
- Artist
Sethembile Msezane deconstructs the act of public commemoration -- how it creates myths, constructs histories, includes some and excludes others. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Quero que, por um momento,
imaginem isto comigo.
00:12
I'd like for you to take a moment
to imagine this with me.
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Você é uma menina de cinco anos.
00:18
You're a little girl of five years old.
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Sentada em frente a um espelho,
pergunta a si mesma:
00:22
Sitting in front of a mirror,
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00:23
you ask yourself,
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"Será que eu existo?"
00:26
"Do I exist?"
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00:29
In this space, there is
very little context,
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Neste espaço, há muito pouco contexto.
Passemos então para um diferente,
00:31
and so you move into a different one,
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cheio de pessoas.
00:34
one filled with people.
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Claro que vocês sabem que não são
fruto de sua própria imaginação.
00:37
Surely, now you know you're not
a figment of your own imagination.
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Respiram o mesmo ar que elas.
00:41
You breathe their air.
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Vocês as veem.
00:43
You see them,
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Portanto, elas devem ver vocês.
00:44
so they must see you.
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Mesmo assim, não conseguem
deixar de se perguntar:
00:47
And yet, you still can't help but wonder:
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"Será que só existo
quando as pessoas falam comigo?"
00:52
Do I only exist when people speak to me?
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Pensamentos bem pesados
para uma criança, não é mesmo?
00:57
Pretty heavy thoughts for a child, right?
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Mas, por meio de diversas obras de arte
que refletem sobre nossa sociedade,
01:01
But through various artworks
that reflect upon our society,
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cheguei a entender
como uma menina negra pode crescer
01:05
I came to understand
how a young black girl can grow up
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sentindo que não é vista,
e que talvez não exista.
01:09
feeling as if she's not seen,
and perhaps she doesn't exist.
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01:16
You see, if young people don't have
positive images of themselves
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Se os jovens não têm
imagens positivas de si mesmos,
e a única coisa que resta
são estereótipos negativos,
01:20
and all that remains
are negative stereotypes,
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01:23
this affects their self-image.
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isso afeta a autoimagem deles.
Mas também afeta a forma
como o restante da sociedade os trata.
01:26
But it also affects the way
that the rest of society treats them.
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Descobri isso vivendo na Cidade do Cabo
durante cerca de cinco anos.
01:31
I discovered this
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01:32
having lived in Cape Town
for about five years at the time.
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Tive uma profunda sensação
de estar deslocada e de ser invisível.
01:37
I felt a deep sense
of dislocation and invisibility.
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Não conseguia me ver representada.
01:43
I couldn't see myself represented.
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Não conseguia ver as mulheres
que me criaram,
01:46
I couldn't see the women who've raised me,
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aquelas que me influenciaram,
01:49
the ones who've influenced me,
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e as que fizeram da África do Sul
o que ela é hoje.
01:51
and the ones that have made
South Africa what it is today.
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Decidi fazer algo a respeito.
01:54
I decided to do something about it.
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O que vocês pensam quando veem isto?
01:59
What do you think when you see this?
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Se fossem uma menina negra,
como se sentiriam?
02:03
If you were a black girl,
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02:05
how would it make you feel?
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Quando andam pela rua,
02:09
Walking down the street,
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o que a cidade em que vivem diz a vocês?
02:11
what does the city you live in say to you?
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Quais símbolos estão presentes?
02:15
What symbols are present?
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Que histórias são comemoradas?
02:17
Which histories are celebrated?
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Por outro lado, quais são omitidas?
02:20
And on the other hand,
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02:21
which ones are omitted?
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Dificilmente, os espaços públicos
são tão neutros como podem parecer.
02:23
You see, public spaces are hardly
ever as neutral as they may seem.
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Descobri isso quando fiz esta apresentação
em 2013, no "Heritage Day".
02:28
I discovered this when I made
this performance in 2013 on Heritage Day.
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A Cidade do Cabo está repleta
de arquitetura masculina,
02:36
Cape Town is teeming
with masculine architecture,
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monumentos e estátuas,
02:41
monuments and statues,
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como a de Louis Botha, naquela fotografia.
02:43
such as Louis Botha in that photograph.
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Esta presença explícita
02:46
This overt presence of white colonial
and Afrikaner nationalist men
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dos colonialistas brancos
e dos nacionalistas africanos
não só reflete uma separação
por classe social, gênero e etnia,
02:52
not only echoes a social,
gender and racial divide,
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mas também continua a afetar
a forma como as mulheres,
02:58
but it also continues to affect
the way that women --
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em especial, as mulheres negras,
03:03
and the way, particularly, black women --
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veem a si próprias em relação
às figuras masculinas dominantes
03:06
see themselves in relation
to dominant male figures
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nos espaços públicos.
03:12
in public spaces.
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Por essa razão, entre outras,
03:17
For this reason, among others,
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não acredito que precisemos de estátuas.
03:19
I don't believe that we need statues.
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A preservação da história
e o ato de recordar
03:22
The preservation of history
and the act of remembering
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podem ser conseguidos
de modos mais memoráveis e eficazes.
03:26
can be achieved in more memorable
and effective ways.
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Como parte de uma série
de feriados ao longo do ano,
03:32
As part of a year-long
public holiday series,
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uso a arte performática
como forma de crítica social
03:36
I use performance art
as a form of social commentary
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para chamar a atenção das pessoas
para certos problemas,
03:40
to draw people's attention
to certain issues,
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assim como para suprir
a ausência do corpo feminino negro
03:43
as well as addressing the absence
of the black female body
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nos memoriais de espaços públicos,
03:49
in memorialized public spaces,
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especialmente nos feriados.
03:51
especially on public holidays.
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O Dia Internacional da Mulher
estava próximo.
03:55
Women's Day was coming up.
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Analisei o significado desse dia,
03:57
I looked at what the day means --
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a Marcha das Mulheres
até o prédio do sindicato em 1956,
03:59
the Women's March
to the union buildings in 1956,
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protestando contra as leis de restrição
aos negros africanos.
04:04
petitioning against the pass laws.
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Associado à hipocrisia
com que as mulheres são tratadas,
04:08
Juxtaposed with the hypocrisy
of how women are treated,
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especialmente nos espaços
públicos, atualmente,
04:12
especially in public spaces today,
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decidi fazer algo a respeito.
04:15
I decided to do something about it.
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Manchete:
04:19
Headline:
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Mulheres de minissaia
atacadas em ponto de táxi.
04:21
[Women in miniskirt attacked at taxi rank]
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Como faço para comentar polos tão opostos?
04:29
How do I comment on such polar opposites?
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Tal como minha bisavó,
fiz uma apresentação com seios à mostra,
04:33
In the guise of my great-grandmother,
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04:35
I performed bare-breasted,
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perto do ponto de táxi em KwaLanga.
04:37
close to the taxi rank in KwaLanga.
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Este espaço também é chamado
"Freedom Square",
04:41
This space is also called Freedom Square,
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onde as mulheres participaram
de passeatas contra as leis do apartheid.
04:43
where women were a part of demonstrations
against apartheid laws.
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Não me agradava
que as mulheres fossem vistas
04:49
I was not comfortable with women
being seen as only victims in society.
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como as únicas vítimas da sociedade.
Podem imaginar
como as pessoas reagiram a isto.
04:56
You might wonder
how people reacted to this.
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04:59
(Video) Woman: (Cheering)
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(Vídeo)
05:03
Woman 2 (offscreen): Yes!
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Mulher: Sim!
05:13
Sethembile Msezane: Pretty cool, huh?
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Sethembile Msezane: Muito legal, hein?
05:16
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Percebi que, por meio
de minhas apresentações,
05:19
So I realized that through
my performances,
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consegui que pessoas comuns
refletissem sobre a sociedade,
05:22
I've been able to make regular people
reflect upon their society,
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olhando para o passado
assim como para a democracia atual.
05:27
looking at the past
as well as the current democracy.
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Homem: Ela está ali desde as três horas.
05:31
(Video) Man (offscreen):
She's been there since three o'clock.
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Homem 2: Ainda antes das três.
Cerca de uma hora parada?
05:34
Man 2 (offscreen): Just before three.
About an hour still?
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Homem 1: Sim. Está um dia muito quente.
05:37
Man 1: Yeah. It's just a really hot day.
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05:45
Man 1: It's very interesting.
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Homem 1: É muito interessante.
05:47
It's very powerful.
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É muito poderoso.
Acho que é legal.
05:50
I think it's cool.
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05:54
I think a lot of people
are quick to join a group
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Penso que muitas pessoas
estão dispostas a entrar num grupo
que seja um movimento em direção a algo,
05:59
that's a movement towards something,
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mas não há muitas que estão preparadas
para fazer alguma coisa individualmente.
06:01
but not many people are ready
to do something as an individual.
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Homem 2: É o individual
frente ao coletivo.
06:07
Man 2: So it's the individual
versus the collective.
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Homem 1: Sim, acho que transmite
uma mensagem individual na apresentação.
06:09
Man 1: Yeah.
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06:10
So I think her pushing her own
individual message in performance ...
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É poderoso.
06:17
it's powerful.
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Sim, acho bem intenso
ela fazer isso sozinha.
06:20
Yeah, I think it's quite powerful
that she's doing it on her own.
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Gostaria de saber porque ela usa
extensões de cabelo como asas
06:25
I'd be interested to know why
she's using hair extensions as wings,
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06:29
or whatever those things are meant to be.
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ou o que quer que isso signifique.
São asas, não são?
06:34
They are wings, yes?
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Mulher: Com ela ali de pé, neste momento,
06:38
Woman 3: With her standing
there right now,
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06:41
I think it's just my interpretation
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minha interpretação
é que estamos derrubando a estátua
06:45
that we are bringing the statue down
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e criando algo que deve
representar o orgulho africano,
06:48
and bringing up something
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06:50
that's supposed to represent
African pride, I think.
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ou algo assim.
06:55
Or something like that.
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Algo deveria se erguer
enquanto Rhodes cai,
06:57
Something should stand while Rhodes falls,
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acho que é esse o significado.
07:01
I think that's what it's saying. Yeah.
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Sim. Obrigada.
07:04
Yes. Thank you.
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Homem: O que está atrás de mim
representa a cultura africana.
07:05
Man 3: What is behind me
represents the African culture.
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Não podemos ter a lei colonialista,
07:09
We can't have the colonialist law,
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por isso, temos que retirar
todas estas estátuas coloniais.
07:11
so we need to remove
all these colonial statues.
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07:14
We have have our own statues now,
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Precisamos ter nossas próprias estátuas,
nossos líderes africanos, Bhambatha,
Moshoeshoe, Kwame Nkrumah,
07:17
our African leaders --
Bhambatha, Moshoeshoe, Kwame Nkrumah --
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todos aqueles que pagaram
com a vida pela nossa libertação.
07:22
all those who paid their lives
for our liberation.
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Não podemos continuar no século 21,
e depois de 21 anos de democracia,
07:26
We can't continue in the 21st century,
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07:28
and after 21 years of democracy,
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com os colonizadores
em nosso próprio país.
07:30
have the colonizers in our own country.
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Eles pertencem a algum lugar,
talvez em um museu, mas não aqui.
07:33
They belong somewhere.
Maybe in a museum; not here.
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Quer dizer, nas instituições de ensino,
07:36
I mean learning institutions,
places where young people,
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nos locais onde os jovens
estão sendo formados.
07:39
young minds are being shaped.
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Não podemos continuar a ter
Louis Botha, Rhodes, todas essas pessoas,
07:40
So we cannot continue to have Louis Botha,
Rhodes, all these people,
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porque representam o colonialismo.
07:45
because they're representing
the colonialism.
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(Fim do vídeo)
07:50
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
SM: O dia 9 de abril de 2015
07:56
Sethembile Msezane: On April 9, 2015,
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era a data prevista para a remoção
da estátua de Cecil John Rhodes,
07:59
the Cecil John Rhodes statue
was scheduled to be removed
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após um mês de debates
a favor ou contra essa remoção
08:03
after a month of debates
for and against its removal
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entre diversas partes interessadas.
08:07
by various stakeholders.
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Isso provocou um interesse generalizado
por estátuas na África do Sul.
08:10
This caused a widespread interest
in statues in South Africa.
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As opiniões variavam, mas a mídia
concentrava-se na problemática
08:15
Opinions varied, but the media
focused on problematizing
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da remoção de estátuas.
08:20
the removal of statues.
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Naquele ano, havia começado meu mestrado
na Universidade da Cidade do Cabo.
08:25
On that -- well, that year,
I had just begun my master's
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08:28
at the University of Cape Town.
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Durante o período
do debate sobre a estátua,
08:32
During the time
of the debate of the statue,
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eu tinha sonhos recorrentes
08:35
I had been having reoccurring dreams
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sobre uma ave.
08:39
about a bird.
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Comecei a evocá-la
08:41
And so I started conjuring her
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em minha mente, espírito e vestimentas.
08:44
mentally, spiritually and through dress.
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Naquele dia, eu tinha um encontro
com meus orientadores,
08:50
On that day,
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08:51
I happened to be having
a meeting with my supervisors,
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e eles me disseram
que a estátua seria derrubada.
08:55
and they told me that the statue
was going to fall on that day.
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Eu disse a eles que explicaria mais tarde,
mas teríamos que adiar o encontro
09:00
I told them that I'd explain later,
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09:02
but we had to postpone the meeting
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porque eu iria representar a ave,
enquanto a estátua era derrubada.
09:04
because I was going to perform her
as the statue came down.
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O nome dela era Chapungu.
09:09
Her name was Chapungu.
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Esta ave de pedra-sabão
foi roubada do Zimbábue
09:11
She was a soapstone bird
that was looted from Great Zimbabwe
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no final do século 19,
09:15
in the late 1800s,
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e atualmente é mantida na propriedade
de Cecil John Rhodes, na Cidade do Cabo.
09:17
and is still currently housed
in Cecil John Rhodes's estate
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09:21
in Cape Town.
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Naquele dia, incorporei a existência dela,
09:24
On that day,
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09:25
I embodied her existence using my body,
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mantendo-me sob o sol escaldante
durante quase quatro horas.
09:29
while standing in the blazing sun
for nearly four hours.
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Conforme chegava a hora,
o guindaste ganhava vida,
09:35
As the time came,
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09:37
the crane came alive.
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bem como as pessoas,
09:39
The people did, too --
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que berravam, gritavam, cerravam os punhos
09:41
shouting,
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09:42
screaming,
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09:43
clenching their fists
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e tiravam fotos daquele momento
com os celulares e as câmeras.
09:45
and taking pictures of the moment
on their phones and cameras.
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As asas de Chapungu,
juntamente com o guindaste,
09:49
Chapungu's wings,
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09:51
along with the crane,
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ergueram-se para declarar
a queda de Cecil John Rhodes.
09:52
rose to declare the fall
of Cecil John Rhodes.
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09:59
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
A euforia tomou conta de todos
quando ele saiu do pedestal,
10:04
Euphoria filled the air
as he became absent from his base,
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enquanto a ave mantinha-se imóvel,
10:08
while she remained still,
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muito presente,
10:12
very present,
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meia hora depois da remoção dele.
10:13
half an hour after his removal.
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Vinte e três anos depois do apartheid,
10:18
Twenty-three years after apartheid,
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surgiu uma nova geração
de radicais na África do Sul.
10:21
a new generation of radicals
has arisen in South Africa.
169
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A história de Chapungu e Rhodes,
no mesmo espaço e tempo,
10:24
The story of Chapungu and Rhodes
in the same space and time
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levanta questões importantes
relacionadas a gênero,
10:29
asks important questions
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10:31
related to gender,
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poder,
10:34
power,
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autorrepresentação,
10:35
self-representation,
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criação da história
10:37
history making
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e repatriação.
10:38
and repatriation.
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A partir daí, percebi
10:43
From then on,
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10:44
I realized that my spiritual
beliefs and dreams
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que minhas crenças e sonhos espirituais
dão textura à minha realidade material.
10:49
texture my material reality.
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Mas, para mim, a história
de Chapungu estava incompleta.
10:53
But for me, Chapungu's story
felt incomplete.
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Esta ave de pedra-sabão,
10:56
This soapstone bird,
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um médium espiritual e mensageiro
de Deus e dos antepassados,
10:58
a spiritual medium and messenger
of God and the ancestors,
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precisava que eu continuasse
a história dela.
11:02
needed me to continue her story.
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Então eu me interessei um pouquinho mais
pelo universo de meu sonho,
11:05
And so I dabbled in the dream space
a little bit more,
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e foi assim que nasceu "Falling".
11:10
and this is how "Falling" was born.
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11:19
[A film by Sethembile Msezane]
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[Um filme de Sethembile Msezane]
11:20
(Video) (A capella singing)
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(Vídeo) (Canto "à capela")
11:51
[FALLING]
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[FALLING]
[www.sethembile-msezane.com]
11:58
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
12:02
In the film,
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No filme, Zimbábue,
África do Sul e Alemanha
12:03
Zimbabwe, South Africa and Germany
share a common story
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compartilham uma história em comum
sobre as aves de pedra-sabão
roubadas do Zimbábue.
12:07
about the soapstone birds
that were looted from Great Zimbabwe.
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Após a independência do Zimbábue,
12:12
After Zimbabwe gained its independence,
193
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todas as aves, exceto uma,
foram devolvidas ao monumento.
12:14
all the birds except for one
were returned to the monument.
194
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"Falling" explora a crença mitológica
de que não haverá sossego
12:19
"Falling" explores the mythological belief
that there will be unrest
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até que a última ave seja devolvida.
12:24
until the final bird is returned.
196
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Pelo meu trabalho, percebi muita coisa
sobre o mundo ao meu redor:
12:28
Through my work,
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12:30
I have realized a lot
about the world around me:
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como nos movemos pelos espaços,
12:34
how we move through spaces,
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1996
quem escolhemos festejar
12:37
who we choose to celebrate
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e de quem nos lembramos.
12:39
and who we remember.
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Agora olho para o espelho
e não vejo apenas minha imagem,
12:42
Now I look in the mirror
and not only see an image of myself,
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mas também a das mulheres
que me fizeram como sou hoje.
12:46
but of the women
who have made me who I am today.
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Tenho orgulho do meu trabalho,
12:50
I stand tall in my work,
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comemorando histórias de mulheres,
12:53
celebrating women's histories,
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na esperança de que, talvez um dia,
12:56
in the hope that perhaps one day,
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nenhuma menina negra jamais
tenha que sentir como se não existisse.
12:59
no little black girl has to ever feel
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13:02
like she doesn't exist.
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Obrigada.
13:04
Thank you.
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(Aplausos)
13:05
(Applause)
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4245
Translated by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sethembile Msezane - Artist
Sethembile Msezane deconstructs the act of public commemoration -- how it creates myths, constructs histories, includes some and excludes others.

Why you should listen

With masked face and powerful gestures, Sethembile Msezane disrupts and deconstructs the process of commemorative practice in South Africa, demanding space next to colonial-era statues for her country's, and her gender's, erased histories. In one iconic work, she performed at the removal of the John Cecil Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town ("Chapungu: The Day Rhodes Fell," 2015), and starting in 2013 she performed a series of pieces called "Public Holiday" that place her body in contrast to colonial-era monuments in Cape Town's CBD.

Msezane is a ANTI Festival International Prize for Live Art nominee (2017). She is the TAF & Sylt Emerging Artist Residency Award winner (2016), and she is the first recipient of the Rising Light award at the Mbokodo Awards. She is also a a Barclays L’Atelier Top 10 Finalist (2016). Her 2017 solo show at Gallery MOMO is titled "Kwasuka Sukel: Re-imagined Bodies of a (South African) '90s Born Woman", and features sculptural work that places colonial images in the context of Victorian-style furniture and dress, reframing and reclaiming a part of colonial history. She was one of the selected artists for gallery solo projects at the FNB Joburg Art Fair (2017), and her work is currently housed in the Zeitz MOCAA collection as well as Iziko South African National Gallery's collection.

Selected group shows include "Women's Work and The Art of Disruptions" at the Iziko South African National Gallery (2016), "Dis(colour)ed Margins" at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (2017), "Re[as]sisting Narratives" at Framer Framed, Amsterdam (2016), "Dance, if you want to enter my country!/ Global Citizen" at GoetheOnMain, Johannesburg (2016), "Nothing Personal" at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, #theopening at Greatmore Studios, Cape Town (2016) and "Translations" at Emergent Art Space and Reed College, Portland, Oregon (2015).

More profile about the speaker
Sethembile Msezane | Speaker | TED.com

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