AmaHubo (psalms), 2018 by Buhlebezwe Siwani (b. 1987, South Africa) (courtesy of WHATIFTHEWORLD gallery)

Monthly Thursday talks online and in person.
13 January 5.30pm, 17 February 6pm. Date in March will be announced.

Recent years have seen a proliferation of art that both documents, critiques and celebrates religious practice and people of faith on film. From large scale video works to intimate portraiture, photography and the moving image have captured moments of collective worship, private devotion and the ephemera of belief. While film and photography are often held to offer objectivity in a rapidly evolving visual world, the art that these talks will address are frequently infused with a mystical presence and a sense of the divine.

Spanning different faith traditions, this series of talks will provide opportunities to see short films and excerpts from longer films alongside insights and conversation from artists, critics and theologians.

13 January at 5.30pm, online only

In Buhlebezwe Siwani’s film AmaHubo the artist interrogates the historical entanglements between African spirituality and Christian belief systems, and specifically, the role women play in the practice, position and power of religion. Siwani’s film reflects the necessity of healing within the contemporary moment. Her art practice ruminates on the inter-generational trauma experienced in South Africa’s current condition. In doing this, she calls for action against exploited labour, human capital, economic migration and disparity, racial segregation and gender politics.

The film will be followed by a response from Joel Cabrita, a historian of modern Southern Africa at Stanford University, and audience Q&A.