Pretty Pretorialicious

During the protests Rhodes Must Fall and the follow up Fees Must Fall, statues of colonial and apartheid figures were targeted and defaced or broken down so the government decided to fence these off. This becomes the leitmotiv of this collection of photographs, the ongoing battle between the former rulers and present rulers, black and white, past and present, for space on Pretoria’s arteries and veins, and as well in the minds of the people of South Africa. And on a deeper level the interrogation, and assigning of blame in the critical and sometimes constructivist memories and imaginations of the citizens of this country. The photos highlight the forming of Pretoria (City hall and Pretorius statues), the formation of the state of South Africa (Krueger statue, Union Buildings), the wars the people of South Africa were involved in (first and second world war) and dedications to their soldiers who gave up their lives defending humanity in further fields... And on another deeper level, as my title Pretty Pretorialicious alludes, I was also interested in showing how sumptuous Pretoria is to the eyes, a city of beautiful buildings, clean streets, colourful streets, vibrant young humans and energies...