This intervention explores the relationship between land and Basotho culture. The artist interrogates these interests within the context of the South African industrial mining complex.
Courtesy of CHURCH.
Piet Tohlang Khabo’s work explores the relationship between land and Basotho culture. In this exhibition, he interrogates these interests within the context of the South African industrial mining complex. Lesotho’s economy has historically depended on labour exported to South African mines, with remittances from Basotho mineworkers constituting a significant portion of the nation’s GDP in the 20th century.
The installation (Di Gopo Tsa Merafong, or “Belly of the Beast”) represents the underground mines and the material culture associated with Basotho miners. Rooted in the Sesotho concept of “Tema,” which signifies work that is ongoing, never complete, and open to interpretation. This exhibition investigates labour as a cultural practice. It draws parallels between the manual labour of miners and the creative labour of artists, emphasising their shared social and political functions. “DGTM” or Belly of the Beast aims to provoke discussion about labour as a tool for cultural and political world-making within the framework of capitalist modernity. Whether a miner or an artist, the conditions of their work are shaped by this system, highlighting the pervasive influence of capitalism on historical and contemporary social formation.
The intervention will open on the 12th of July, 2024. For more information, please visit CHURCH.
