By MAMELA GOWA and ARETHA LINDEN
The Eastern Cape department of education is investigating the controversial “Class of 2017 Selborne College” portrait which sparked an outcry when it surfaced online on Friday.
The flag-sized image contains a grotesque caricature of the iconic 1976 photograph of a shot and dying Hector Pieterson.
A photograph of 24 members of the class posing with the image has also raised hackles.
Education spokesman Mali Mtima said the department sent a team to the school on Friday to investigate the matter.
He said although a preliminary investigation was told the artist’s impression was not sanctioned by the school governing body or school management team, further investigation was being undertaken.
“We have learnt about the portrait and we want to sincerely apologise for the harm caused by it. We intend to further investigate the matter. According to the school the portrait was done by one of their pupils,” said Mtima.
Asked for the name of the “artist” Mtima said: “They only said it is a pupil and it ended there but the investigation is still ongoing.”
The portrait created by a pupil from the 2017 matric class, shows two human-like dogs next to each other. One of the dogs, portrayed as a male, is carrying a headless figure in a Selborne blazer, while the other, portrayed as a female, appears to be running beside them gasping. The words “The class of 2017 Selborne College” are written on it.
The Daily Dispatch reported on Saturday that some social media users who shared the poster said the portrait was a spoof of the Soweto uprising photograph of dying Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo with his sister, Antoinette Sithole, running beside them.
The provincial arts and culture department said the poster was not only offensive and ahistorical, but also “hurtful and a very unfortunate misrepresentation of the events that led to the 1976 student uprising”.
Provincial sport, recreation, art and culture spokesman Andile Nduna said: “Artists ought to be mindful of not expressing their art form in a way that infringes on other people’s rights, that violates inherent human dignity and is insensitive to the advancement of our historic past. We condemn this drawing and call upon Selborne College to discard it.”
On Friday, the Dispatch interviewed Selborne principal Andrew Dewar, who made comments on the record about the motivation behind the artwork, but later insisted his comments be replaced by a statement from the chairman of the governing body of Selborne College, Pierre Tilney.
On Saturday Tilney referred to the creation and posting of the portrait as “actions of individuals outside of the school”.
“Selborne College and the governing body strongly distances itself and will continue to distance itself in the future from such actions.
“We are unable to assume responsibility for the actions of individuals outside of the school but certainly can apologise on their behalf for the unnecessary emotion and unhappiness that this image has created,” said Tilney.
The school did not give out the name of the artist.
However, in a statement released by the SGB, the “artist” was quoted as saying: “I was commissioned to do an artwork that expressed loss, grief or sadness that the matrics at the time could relate to. At the time time I was learning history and came across the iconic photo and thought that it was the perfect image to use to express the pain and loss the matrics of that year were feeling, including myself.”
The artist, allegedly a pupil of the 2017 matric class, said his intention was to adapt the photo into a Selborne-based artwork. “The two humans have been adapted into dogs as symbolism to our school. Selborne is often referred to by its official symbol of a greyhound or whippet dog and was no way meant to be derogatory or disrespectful to any person.”
He said the male dog represented a devastated old Selbornian who has to hand back his blazer and the female dog represented family and friends who were equally shattered by the pupils’ end of their school career.
“I wanted an artwork to represent emotional feelings at the time of leaving the school, only for Selborne matrics of 2017. I viewed the iconic image as a powerful symbol of loss, that then brought forth better futures , and thought it was a good relatable image for our class and its success to come.”
He said: “There was never meant to be any racism or prejudice within the artwork and I apologise for any misunderstanding the artwork has caused.” — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
Bhisho probes controversial portrait linked to Selborne College
The Eastern Cape department of education is investigating the controversial “Class of 2017 Selborne College” portrait which sparked an outcry when it surfaced online on Friday.
The flag-sized image contains a grotesque caricature of the iconic 1976 photograph of a shot and dying Hector Pieterson.
A photograph of 24 members of the class posing with the image has also raised hackles.
Education spokesman Mali Mtima said the department sent a team to the school on Friday to investigate the matter.
He said although a preliminary investigation was told the artist’s impression was not sanctioned by the school governing body or school management team, further investigation was being undertaken.
“We have learnt about the portrait and we want to sincerely apologise for the harm caused by it. We intend to further investigate the matter. According to the school the portrait was done by one of their pupils,” said Mtima.
Asked for the name of the “artist” Mtima said: “They only said it is a pupil and it ended there but the investigation is still ongoing.”
The portrait created by a pupil from the 2017 matric class, shows two human-like dogs next to each other. One of the dogs, portrayed as a male, is carrying a headless figure in a Selborne blazer, while the other, portrayed as a female, appears to be running beside them gasping. The words “The class of 2017 Selborne College” are written on it.
The Daily Dispatch reported on Saturday that some social media users who shared the poster said the portrait was a spoof of the Soweto uprising photograph of dying Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo with his sister, Antoinette Sithole, running beside them.
The provincial arts and culture department said the poster was not only offensive and ahistorical, but also “hurtful and a very unfortunate misrepresentation of the events that led to the 1976 student uprising”.
Provincial sport, recreation, art and culture spokesman Andile Nduna said: “Artists ought to be mindful of not expressing their art form in a way that infringes on other people’s rights, that violates inherent human dignity and is insensitive to the advancement of our historic past. We condemn this drawing and call upon Selborne College to discard it.”
On Friday, the Dispatch interviewed Selborne principal Andrew Dewar, who made comments on the record about the motivation behind the artwork, but later insisted his comments be replaced by a statement from the chairman of the governing body of Selborne College, Pierre Tilney.
On Saturday Tilney referred to the creation and posting of the portrait as “actions of individuals outside of the school”.
“Selborne College and the governing body strongly distances itself and will continue to distance itself in the future from such actions.
“We are unable to assume responsibility for the actions of individuals outside of the school but certainly can apologise on their behalf for the unnecessary emotion and unhappiness that this image has created,” said Tilney.
The school did not give out the name of the artist.
However, in a statement released by the SGB, the “artist” was quoted as saying: “I was commissioned to do an artwork that expressed loss, grief or sadness that the matrics at the time could relate to. At the time time I was learning history and came across the iconic photo and thought that it was the perfect image to use to express the pain and loss the matrics of that year were feeling, including myself.”
The artist, allegedly a pupil of the 2017 matric class, said his intention was to adapt the photo into a Selborne-based artwork. “The two humans have been adapted into dogs as symbolism to our school. Selborne is often referred to by its official symbol of a greyhound or whippet dog and was no way meant to be derogatory or disrespectful to any person.”
He said the male dog represented a devastated old Selbornian who has to hand back his blazer and the female dog represented family and friends who were equally shattered by the pupils’ end of their school career.
“I wanted an artwork to represent emotional feelings at the time of leaving the school, only for Selborne matrics of 2017. I viewed the iconic image as a powerful symbol of loss, that then brought forth better futures , and thought it was a good relatable image for our class and its success to come.”
He said: “There was never meant to be any racism or prejudice within the artwork and I apologise for any misunderstanding the artwork has caused.” — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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