Santu Mofokeng - A Silent Solitude – Photographs 1982-2011 - 2016





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Santu Mofokeng: A Silent Solitude – Photographs 1982-2011, Skira, 2016, hardback, 255 pages, original language English, Italian edition, first edition.
Description from the seller
Santu Mofokeng: A Silent Solitude – Photographs 1982-2011 – Milano, Skira Editore 2016
in 4to, 25 x 28,5 cm., publisher’s hardback, no dust jacket as issued, 255 pages, in fine condition.
A prestigious monograph published by Skira in 2016, edited by Simon Njami. The volume celebrates South African photographer Santu Mofokeng (1956–2020) on the occasion of the inaugural International Photography Prize awarded to him by the Fondazione Fotografia Modena in collaboration with Sky Arte HD.
The book brings together thirty years of work documenting the era of apartheid and its aftermath, focusing on daily life in the townships, landscapes, and local spiritual practices—all captured with an intimate, austere style that eschews the stereotypes often found in aggressive photojournalism.
For Mofokeng, photography was not an artistic abstraction but a form of writing—a political and intellectual commitment to telling suppressed stories and restoring voice and dignity to the ordinary people of South Africa.
Spanning approximately 255 pages, the volume includes critical essays and interviews that examine the photographer’s profound perspective, which exists in the space between documentary realism and a subtle, poetic ambivalence.
Visual themes: From iconic street photographs taken in Soweto during the 1970s to more contemplative series on landscapes and religious rituals in caves, the images evoke a sense of "silent solitude"—the very quality that gives the volume its title.
This work is considered an essential reference point for understanding the evolution of contemporary African photography.
Careful protective packaging, fast and tracked shipping.
Santu Mofokeng: A Silent Solitude – Photographs 1982-2011 – Milano, Skira Editore 2016
in 4to, 25 x 28,5 cm., publisher’s hardback, no dust jacket as issued, 255 pages, in fine condition.
A prestigious monograph published by Skira in 2016, edited by Simon Njami. The volume celebrates South African photographer Santu Mofokeng (1956–2020) on the occasion of the inaugural International Photography Prize awarded to him by the Fondazione Fotografia Modena in collaboration with Sky Arte HD.
The book brings together thirty years of work documenting the era of apartheid and its aftermath, focusing on daily life in the townships, landscapes, and local spiritual practices—all captured with an intimate, austere style that eschews the stereotypes often found in aggressive photojournalism.
For Mofokeng, photography was not an artistic abstraction but a form of writing—a political and intellectual commitment to telling suppressed stories and restoring voice and dignity to the ordinary people of South Africa.
Spanning approximately 255 pages, the volume includes critical essays and interviews that examine the photographer’s profound perspective, which exists in the space between documentary realism and a subtle, poetic ambivalence.
Visual themes: From iconic street photographs taken in Soweto during the 1970s to more contemplative series on landscapes and religious rituals in caves, the images evoke a sense of "silent solitude"—the very quality that gives the volume its title.
This work is considered an essential reference point for understanding the evolution of contemporary African photography.
Careful protective packaging, fast and tracked shipping.

