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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:A Postcolonial Reading of Mural Art in South Africa
Author:Marschall, SabineISNI
Year:2000
Periodical:Critical Arts: A Journal of Media Studies
Volume:14
Issue:2
Pages:96-121
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:painting
Architecture and the Arts
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02560040085310111
Abstract:Community mural art in South Africa is mostly a postapartheid phenomenon, its emergence closely connected with political change and liberalization in the country. Despite this close correlation with political processes, mural art appears to be strikingly unpolitical and uncritical in content. Murals have a long tradition of being associated with advertisements or graffiti, justifying the fact that they are not taken seriously as art. This paper suggests that there is more to murals than meets the eye. It challenges some of the common stereotypes and assumptions associated with urban community murals. Using postcolonial theory as a framework, the author argues that mural art has been forced into a position of 'other' as opposed to fine art, as South Africa is still largely polarized between 'high art' or fine art and 'low art'. She illustrates with a few examples that there is a critical dimension to community murals, which is often overlooked when assessing them according to Western models of art. Bibliogr., notes, ref.
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