We gave you forgiveness... (you kept the Krugerrands)

Political power may have changed hands in South Africa, but much of the country's economic power still remains in the hands of the minority white population. Two decades after Nelson Mandela was elected, and after the much lauded peace and reconciliation process, racial tension in South Africa is still a major issue. Many believe that the country has become more divided as the economy has failed to deliver the growth and jobs promised to bring greater financial equality to the population as a whole. For the majority of South Africans, not much has changed economically in the past twenty years. Using visual aesthetics I wanted to reflect this. The image's embellishments have been influenced a) by distressed old images - colour-tinged and water-marked - to create a “time-line” aesthetic - in this case, from the apartheid era - to the present. b) coloured discs symbolise the Krugerrand, a potent symbol of the apartheid era and still of ownership and wealth today. (in 2017, somewhat poignantly, the Krugerrand 'celebrated' 50 years since its introduction). N.B. In my work, I often embellish my images with lines, marks and colouring to disrupt the conventional perspective associated with the medium and the subject matter – and in a nuanced way convey deeper meaning to the imagery.