Print
text 
Enlarge Image with caption.
Cold Turkey: Stories of Truth and Reconciliation
(Poison Victims)
1996
Assemblage: acetate, steel, plexiglass, wood
97-21-1, museum purchase
This assemblage refers to admissions made before the post-apartheid Truth
and Reconciliation Commission. Williamson intended the prints to appear
"as they might perhaps be displayed in a courtroom for the information
of the jury."
b. 1941, England
Sue Williamson immigrated with her family to South Africa in 1948. An active member of and advocate for the South African community of artists, Williamsonıs work is characterized by its powerful socio-political commentary on the apartheid and post-apartheid eras. Throughout her body of work, the artist uses varied media to document social and political destruction, victimization and attempted resolution.
Williamson's consistent use of black-and-white imagery, as in Cold Turkey and Winnie Mandela and the Assassination of Dr. Asfat, recalls the documentary nature of journalism and mass media. Through multimedia collage and installations, Williamson distills a critical commentary on current events--such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigating victims' accounts of apartheid atrocities and post-apartheid politics--and renders the imagery and words more powerful than standard media.
Please click to 
on this artwork.
