ARTdacity S3 E7: A Protea Is Not a Flower

Tonight, the red walls of the Zeitz MOCAA aren't just a design choice—they are a provocation. I am honored to be at the opening of the exhibition A Protea Is Not a Flower, a deep-dive research project that places contemporary giants Robin Rhode and Lerato Shadi in a haunting, vital conversation with the legacies of Bessie Head, Gerard Sekoto, and Don Mattera.

In this segment, we stand before a staggering 1:1 ratio mural of the facade of John Vorster Square, the notorious Johannesburg police station. This fragment of architecture serves as a backdrop to the poetry of Don Mattera, specifically his 1970s work "Fallen Fruit," dedicated to the mother of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol. As we walk through the monochromatic photography offset by these visceral red surfaces, we aren't just looking at art; we are questioning the very mechanics of history: Who records it? Who is pushed to the periphery? And how do we celebrate the "grandness" of figures like Bessie Head, who lived in humble poverty but left a legacy that is computationally priceless?