SLAGHUIS II: The Installation
Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo’s debut solo exhibition, Slaghuis II opened on 28 February at the Photo Workshop Gallery. During the few weeks of February, the gallery was transformed with dark colour and by subdued light, to conceive a space ready to hold the body of work created over a 12 month period. With the combination of paint, glass, wood and metal and a team ready to work long hours, the gallery did not become the Slaghuis but a worthy reflection of it. For a time it was available for the public to view and enter Hlatshwayo’s psyche through the unframed, hanging images.
Due to restrictions in place for the safety of MPW staff and the public, the gallery closed just a month into the exhibition, putting the earnest offering on pause. Nevertheless, the exhibition of Slaghuis II will continue through the virtual arena, with more space and time to discuss the themes that inspired the work.
In this video, Hlatshwayo speaks on turning the gallery into a studio and the process of building the Slaghuis II exhibition, as the 2019 recipient of the Giséle Wulfsohn Mentorship in Photography.