It is the exhibition South Africans have been waiting for: charting the country’s visual expression over the past 100,000 years. However, South Africa: Art of a Nation is being staged at the British Museum in London. It is a landmark exhibition not only because of its historical breadth, but also in the manner in which the curators attempted to “decolonise” their collection. However, while their compensatory gesture is interesting, it is fraught with contradictions. The mega-show will enlighten the British and tourists about history that predates and extends beyond the likes of William Kentridge or Marlene Dumas — the two domestic artists most well-known internationally. “Shows like this reposition the country in a global context, which it doesn’t get through its own efforts,” says Stefan Hundt, curator of the Sanlam art collection and art adviser to Sanlam Wealth’s clientele. It takes a certain kind of cultural arrogance for an institution belonging to a former colonial power to te...
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