Expressions - The 3rd Annual Jazz Photography Exhibition by Siphiwe Mhlambi
Each year in September, it has become the norm to look forward to the latest edition of the jazz series of photographs by the artist, Siphiwe Mhlambi.
Mhlambi is able to draw from an extraordinary archive of works created over three decades. His passion for jazz is equaled only by his portraits of the artists who create this most wondrous music.
Mhlambi’s exhibition is justifiably called Expressions because, in each portrait that he presents, he is able to capture uniquely expressive moments with his camera.
There’s something visceral about each of the photographs that Mhlambi presents with such care in Expressions. His mastery of light is a reminder that the camera is jazz’s other great instrument. He weaves in so much emotion between the light and darkness and the shadows that lend to the subtle power of his photography.
Jazz musicians have attracted the attention of some of the most gifted photographers, including Herman Leonard, George Hallett, Milt Hinton, Roy DeCavara, Hugh Bell, William Claxton, Art Kane, Jurgen Schadenberg, Tseliso Monaheng.
In the years when South Africa was fighting against Apartheid, jazz provided the soundtrack to those who yearned for democracy. In the years since South Africa became a democracy, jazz artists from South Africa have performed on some of the most important jazz stages in the world and Mhlambi has been there to capture these images of freedom.
Mhlambi’s art is receiving considerable global attention, and his continuous exhibition platform allows audiences to explore the subtle links between jazz and democracy. He has successfully taken part in many of the most important jazz photography competitions and his work has been published internationally.
This latest edition of Expressions will be viewed in the context of the individual portraits but also within the frame of jazz photography in general. His compelling work is certain to deepen interest in South Africa’s jazz scene and its membership in the global jazz community.
Mhlambi is not only a photographer and lover of the art of jazz, he is also a serious collector of jazz music and a supporter of the arts. His studio and home are a reflection of this deep love for the music, and a showcase of his curiosity about the lives of those he photographs. His prints don the walls of some of South Africa’s most avid art collectors.
He has collaborated with the artist Sam Nhlengethwa, who is famed for his jazz sensibility. Amongst his portraits are those of Abigail Kubeka, Dorothy Masuka, Zoe Modiga, Sibongile Khumalo, Paul Hamner, Kitty Phehla, Busi Mhlongo, Hugh Masekela, Abdullah Ibrahim, Thandie Klaasen, Vusi Khumalo, Steve Kekana, Themba Mokoena, Wynton Marsalis, Gregory Porter, and countless others.
The portraits in this exhibition explore a range of emotions. Harnessing the wide range of tools and styles available to the photographer, he captures that most intense of moments of the jazz artist in action.
Throughout this series, Mhlambi captures the public and private worlds that these artists delve into to create the magic called jazz. His photographs are a reminder, if any was needed, that jazz is rooted in an art form that promotes the values of equality, respect, and dignity. These portraits are raw with emotion. They reflect the promise and possibility of transcendence that characterized South Africa’s transition to democracy.
It is a privilege to contemplate the works of this photographer at the height of his powers. His tool is the lens, typically a prime lens, attached to a camera, exploring the limits of light and shadow to produce works that stretch our imagination. In Expressions, we join Mhlambi on his endless search for the inner truth that informs the jazz artist in the quest for a higher truth.