LOOK: Willie Bester's new exhibition turns found objects into forces of resistance

IOL News

6 days ago

Willie Bester, globally acknowledged as one of SA foremost resistance artists. is having a solo exhibition, called 'The Human Condition', at the Koena Art Instiutute.
Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media.
"The Human Condition", a solo exhibition by celebrated South African artist Willie Bester, is set to offers art enthisiasts a rare opportunity to engage with a powerful body of work crafted over decades, reflecting the complex social and political realities of South Africa.
Classified under the oppressive racial laws of the time and raised in a segregated township, Bester channelled his experiences into art that continues to speak volumes.
Willie Bester's mixed-media interpretation of Saartjie Baartman pays tribute to her enduring legacy as a symbol of exploitation and resilience. Constructed using scrap metal and found objects, the artwork reflects on her dehumanising treatment in 19th-century Europe, where she was exhibited as a spectacle due to her body.
Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media.
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Known for his distinctive mixed-media approach, Bester combines oil and watercolour paints with photographs, newspaper clippings and various found objects from tins and bones to car parts, musical instruments and military paraphernalia.
These materials, often scavenged from local dumps and junkyards, are woven into vividly coloured artworks that tell stories beyond what is seen in broadcast media and newspapers.
Referencing the 1985 Trojan Horse Massacre in Cape Town, where apartheid police concealed armed officers in a delivery truck before opening fire on protesting youth, Willie Bester transforms the myth into a reminder of how violence is often hidden behind false pretences.
Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media.
Born in 1956 in Montagu, Western Cape and raised under apartheid's oppressive racial laws, Bester channelled his personal experiences into art that confronts forced removals, racial oppression and ongoing struggles for equality.
By the late 1980s, he began to achieve recognition for his work, and in 1991, Bester turned professional. His role as a struggle artist naturally evolved into one of documenting the dramatic social and political developments in post-apartheid South Africa.
His art addresses pressing issues such as crime, greed, poverty, corruption and government accountability, offering a critical perspective on the complexities of the new South Africa.
'The body of works deals with the condition people sometimes find themselves in,' Bester explained.
This artwork by Willie Bester features a bulldozer assembled from scrap metal, looming over fragmented human figures caught in conflict.
Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media.
'Through this body of art pieces I try to find some common ground and understanding of the different experiences. My mission as an artist is dealing with issues like political resistance and social issues.'
In several of Willie Bester's portrait pieces, music, both as material and metaphor, weaves through the artwork, symbolising a powerful form of protest and identity.
Image: Picture: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media.
Bester's work is not easily categorised. It merges painting, sculpture and installation, challenging the viewer to reckon with uncomfortable truths.
His pieces often incorporate photographs and text, grounding them in specific historical contexts while speaking to broader human rights issues.
With works held in major collections including the Iziko South African National Gallery and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Bester has long been recognised for his artistic and cultural impact.
Willie Bester's depiction of soldiers in battle uses layered scrap metal and found objects to capture the chaos and intensity of conflict.
Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media.
Firmly committed to upholding human dignity, Bester's work gives voice to those often ignored and tells stories rarely heard, making The Human Condition an essential encounter with South Africa's history, heritage, and identity.
"My art has to be taken as a nasty tasting medicine for awakening consciences. I believe that we must protest against that which is wrong. There is no form of escape; remaining apolitical is a luxury that South Africans simply cannot afford," said Bester.
The Koena Art Institute will present "The Human Condition", from Thursday, 29 May.