Marang a Letsatsi
– a solo exhibition by Edward Ruiz Mentorship Recipient Jerry Obakeng Gaegane
Marang a Letsatsi opens 9 October 2013 at 18h00
The Photo Workshop Gallery
9 October – 20 November 2013
Walkabout with Jerry Obakeng Gaegane 26 October 2013, 10h30
Marang a Letsatsi documents informal surface and underground miners in the West Rand, and around Johannesburg. It considers the hardship of intensive labour and living conditions under which they operate. Through portraiture, Gaegane examines these miners that often come from the SADC region.
Underground informal miners leave home at about 4pm to mine overnight. Each morning they return at dawn. They say that to see the light of day is very important for them as it gives them the spirit of life, to live for another day and to be able to see the sun; in Tswana Marang a Letsatsi, “To see the sun rise”.
Mining in South Africa, and in particular informal mining, is a phenomenon of physical and social geographies that shift continuously between above and below.
Jerry Obakeng Gaegane is the 2012 Edward Ruiz Mentorship recipient. The Edward Ruiz Mentorship at the Market Photo Workshop in association with AngloGold Ashanti.
Gaegane was mentored by Ilan Godfrey.
About the Edward Ruiz Mentorship
The Edward Ruiz Mentorship at the Market Photo Workshop, in association with AngloGold Ashanti. It awards the recipient with the financial and infrastructural support needed to develop a substantial body of photography work over the course of year, culminating in a solo exhibition, hosted at the The Photo Workshop Gallery. The recipient works closely with a suitable mentor, who provides guidance and direction on the intended project. For more information about the Edward Ruiz Mentorship click here.
About the recipient Jerry Obakeng Gaegane
Jerry Obakeng Gaegane was born and raised in Meadowlands, Soweto. After matriculating in 2005 he enrolled in studies of Ceramic Design at Siyavuka lateral improvement foundation at Ipelegeng White City (Jabavu) in Soweto, shortly after that he completed a course in Graphic Design at Rosebank College.
It was here that he discovered photography through part of his course and really felt a definite connection with the medium of analogue photography, and completing his course at Rosebank College in 2008. In 2009 he then enrolled at the Market Photo Workshop to study the Foundation, Intermediate Courses and Advanced Programme in Photography. He entered the Seed competition where he won second price from the Australian Swiss Company.
About the mentor Ilan Godfrey
Godfrey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1980. He has a BA degree in Photography and a MA degree in Photojournalism from the University of Westminster in London, England. He focuses on extensive issues that reflect South Africa’s constantly changing landscape, documenting the country with an in-depth, intimate and personal conscience, revealing varied aspects of societal change. The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, The International Photography Award, Magenta Flash Forward Award, and Nikon Endframe Award has recognized his work locally and internationally among others. He has participated in the Toscana Photographic Masterclass in Italy and is the recipient of the Ivan Kyncl Memorial Photography Placement in London. Godfrey’s photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including The National Portrait Gallery in London and Musee du Quai Branly in Paris. His photographs have been featured in a broad range of international publications.
