S'khothane : representation in and influence on, contemporary visual arts practices

Abstract

S’khothane: Representation in, and influence on, contemporary visual arts practices For several years now, S’khothane youth culture has been viewed as a social ill. This view started after it received massive broadcast and print media coverage during the course of 2012. Crews claiming adherence to S’khothane were interviewed by investigative journalism programmes on two of South Africa’s most watched television channels, eTV and SABC1. While some townships1 in Gauteng claim to have been the birthplace of S’khothane, this subculture appears to be based on various other subcultures that preceded it. Cultures such as Swenkas (Umswenko), Sapeurs (La Sape) and Pantsula influenced various aspects of the S’khothane culture, from dance and poses, to dress style and performances. References made to S’khothane in studies by Mkhwanazi (2011) and Jones (2013a) as well as mass media coverage on programmes such as 3rd Degree (2015) and Cutting Edge, have generally been negative. Jones (2013a:210) describes S’khothane as a disruptive manifestation of consumption, which involves publicly destroying expensive designer clothes, shoes and accessories to show that these symbols of wealth are meaningless and easily replaceable. This study explores the representation of S’khothane in selected contemporary visual artworks and assesses any influence it might have on these artworks. The study also investigates public perceptions about the S’khothane youth culture and evaluates these against realities documented during data collection to determine whether the perceptions

were premised on misconceptions. A group of participants was randomly selected from S’khothane events that took place in Fountains Valley (Pretoria), Soshanguve, Tembisa and other S’khothane gatherings held in places such as recreational parks and taverns. The participants were interviewed to gain insight into their perspective of the S’khothane culture, to establish the culture’s origin, its practises and elements. S’khothane is widely integrated and visually appropriated in the visual language of selected contemporary South African art practices. To this end, this research extends into a focused analysis of selected artworks in order to demonstrate how S’khothane influences selected contemporary visual arts practice in Gauteng. Through this approach, it becomes clear that these modes of representation embody no explicit moral judgement as one might find in investigative journalism programmes. There is a subtlety in the way S’khothane is represented by selected artists. In the Jamalaun Nxedlana artworks discussed, there is an element of realism depicted in the absence of manipulation through the documentation. On the other hand, Kudzanai Chiurai’s form of representation involves manipulation because he produced his visual artworks in a studio where he used props and had the ability to control the composition of the artwork. Nontsikelelo Veleko made a representation of various S’khothane elements including colourful clothes and accessories such as sunglasses. The study also investigates how S’khothane lifestyles, dance, poses, clothing and performances are trends shaped influenced by other subcultural historic groups such as Swenkas (Umswenko), Sapeurs (La Sape) and Pantsula; giving them fad status, whether it be morally correct or not.