Freedom, I dream up for myself and others. Inkululeko, ndiphuphela mna nabanye. Vryheid, ek droom vir myself en ander.
The 2023 Stellenbosch Outdoor Photography Exhibition, entitled ‘Freedom, I dream up for myself and others', opened publically in July 2023, featuring exceptional works by top-tier masters of photography. It was jointly presented by the Stellenbosch Triennale and proud patron Private Clients by Old Mutual South Africa, curated by Under The Aegis and Anelisa Mangcu.
Eight large-scale works by eight masters of photography who are inspired by the African continent were exhibited across the historic town for the next 10 months. The aim was to explore the medium of photography through the lenses of some of the very best. These works included:
Malick Sidibé (1935-2016) was a Malian photographer known for his black-and-white studies of popular culture in the 1960s in Bamako. Malick Sidibé Photographer had a long and fruitful career as a photographer in Bamako, Mali, and was a well-known figure in his community. In 1994 he had his first exhibition outside of Mali and received much critical praise for his carefully composed portraits. Sidibé's work has since become well known and renowned on a global scale.
Renowned photographic master Calvin Dondo, born in 1963 and a graduate of Harare Polytechnic, garnered international acclaim showcasing his unique perspective on African lives. His extensive career includes the establishment of Gwanza, a platform promoting photography's societal role, and curating exhibitions globally.
South African photographer Petrus Cornelius Jacobus "Obie" Oberholzer was born on a small farm outside Pretoria in 1947. He studied graphic design at Stellenbosch University in the late 1960s, and photography at the Bavarian State Institute of Photography in Munich in the early 1970s. He returned to Germany in 1979 for his Master's degree in photography. Since 1987 he has produced 15 coffee table books on his travels and life in Africa, 37 one-man exhibitions in South Africa and 11 in Europe.
Akinbode Akinbiyi is British Nigerian photographer, author and curator known as an internationally renowned representative of photography in Africa. His work has helped to shape our understanding of contemporary Africa and its people. In 2019, he was awarded the Goethe Medal, one of Germany's highest cultural honours, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to photography and his work to promote cultural understanding between Africa and Europe.
