Meleko Mokgosi: Democratic Intuition @ ICA

The 2016 presidential election has understandably become “the thing to talk about.” Everything from Facebook posts to Snapchat-live ‘stories’ have been overtaking the internet. It’s crazy yet totally normal that the candidates have turned to social media to promote themselves. Only a few years ago candidates were using traditional TV techniques to reach a broad audience. Through commercials, they would expose bad traits of their opponents and set themselves apart from the crowd. I wonder if we’ll be getting that through sponsored Instagram ads. Or personalized tweets as opposed to those annoying phone calls. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. But regardless, we must be thankful to live in a democratic society. Other countries, let’s say South Africa, haven’t always had such a privilege.

And now I bring you to Meleko Mokgosi: an incredible artist who wishes to tell a part of South Africa’s history through his art. His small exhibition, Democracy Intuition, is on display at the ICA until August 9th. Mokgosi uses old film, photography and historic paintings for inspiration. He paints daily-life scenes in canvases that cover the walls like a large filmstrip in order to show the suppression of a non-democratic state.

Go and enjoy these great pieces with free admission every Thursday during ICA Free Thursday Nights from 5-9pm. Plus, there’s usually an awesome performance or event going on–check out their site for future programs.