Janette Danel has opened a new gallery in Paris devoted to South African photography (KijK galerie). To mark the opening, here are the photographs from Dale Yudelman’s series, i am, currently on display.
This series of work pursues a more personal account of individuals who apply for work on public notice boards. These community advertising spaces are found in busy convenience stores and supermarkets across South Africa, where they seldom receive a second glance from most consumers.
Many of the ‘applicants’ are from Malawi and Zimbabwe; each note bears its own temperament from the wording to the character of the handwriting. Once placed in the foreground of our immediate and unhurried experience, the petitions become a personal passage to the emotions of the writer seeking employment.
The notes express the hopes of those who are willing to do almost anything in order to earn a living – divulging much more than is normally seen of the millions of people who come to South Africa looking for sanctuary, dignity or simply a better life.
The photographs alongside each handwritten note, act as a connector, serving to animate the history, the immediate reality, as well as the plight of these immigrants – bringing meaning and context to our sense of country and belonging.
KijK galerie
10, rue des Jardins Saint-Paul
75004 Paris
M : + 33 (0) 6 75 29 68 99
