BETWEEN UNION AND LIBERATION

The essays collected here investigate art made by women in South Africa between 1910, the year of Union, and 1994, the year of the first democratic election. During this period, complex political circumstances and the impact of modernism in South Africa affected the production of images and objects. The contributors study the lives and achievements of black and white women from different cultural groups and social contexts. They explore their works in the light of historical and economic conditions, regional geographies, notions of identity, the influence of educational institutions and the role of feminist theories in a changing country. A wide range of visual images and objects - paintings, sculptures, photography, baskets, tapestries, embroideries and ceramics - provide the touchstone for discussion and analysis so that this richly illustrated book celebrates the diversity of art made by women in South Africa.