About the exhibition
Photographer Martine Kolner (Kairos © Photography) went to South Africa on a number of occasions on behalf of SEEtrust. She photographed the living and working conditions of people in settlements and townships twenty years after Apartheid. Pictures were taken in Diepsloot, Princess Crossing, Orange Farm, Soweto, Alexandra, Ivory Park (Johannesburg) and Langkloof (Drakensberg).
SEEtrust is actively involved with women and youth at various locations, contributing towards a healthy development of existing social initiatives. Martine’s work shows the initiators and their social enterprises, registering daily life, work, culture and religion of the inhabitants of these areas.
The Grass is Burning shows careful optimism. It shows hope and life energy, demonstrating how people make a living and how individuals and small organisations work to improve life. Countless private and public initiatives exists where people work together across what used to be and in many cases still are social, economical, racial and cultural divides.
Time and effort are required to bridge the still existing differences. The Slash&Burn series is symbolic for current day South Africa: making progress in a societal context of dormant fires which can either die down or flare up unexpectedly.
The entire exhibition consisted of more than 100 photos, covering 14 different themes and was held at Maliebaan45, Utrecht (2012) and Arts on Main, Johannesburg (2013). The book The Grass is Burning is available at Kairos © Photography. Both book and photographs are for sale. All proceeds went to SEEtrust projects.