Zwelethu Mthethwa: Inner Views Exhibit Response

Untitled from "Interiors" series,
2000          Zwelethu Mthethwa

This photo is about the domestic life of a migrant worker in South Africa. People allowed Mthethwa into their homes to document their lives. The setting of this photo, as is similar to others, is an empty house. It's bare and a house more then a home. This woman is in her current living space, living as best she can. There is a softness to the portrait, which makes us think the photo was taken with a slower shutter speed.  The lighting looks too intensely bright to come simply from a window, as this type of house likely had small windows. Possible artificial light? The background is her bedroom, which is decorated with newspaper clippings and ads. The walls of this room are an intense blue, unexpected in a place such as that. The composition shows most of the space of that room; a wide angle lens was likely used.

This photograph makes me wonder about her life, and who she is: is she alone? Does she live with someone else? It is only her in this photograph, so it's hard to tell for sure.  It makes me feel sad and lonely; she has so little but she is living as much as she can. She is doing her best to survive each day.
Before this photo was taken, perhaps she was at work, which is why she is sitting in the chair now, resting. She may also be getting ready to go out to work.

Seeing the photo online is nothing compared to seeing it in person. In person, this photo as well as Mthethwa's other works are much more intense. The colors are different, the size of the portraits can not be understood by looking at a tiny online reproduction.  In person, these photos have a bigger impact and cannot be fully appreciated by just looking at them online.

Zwelethu wants the viewer to see that things are not as they should be. Everyone may think the world is a happy place, but it is not. Many people live in hardships just as these photographs show. It is happening in todays day and age, and nobody is doing anything to stop it or help these people. There is so much potential, somebody just needs to act to initiate change.  I think the photos he has taken do get his ideas across very well. He has the power to show the rest of the world what is happening in another country, and he is using that power for good.

His subjects let him into their homes so they can tell their stories. They want to make a change, and this is just the beginning.