Notes

Johannesburg born, Ilan Godfrey earned BA and MA degrees in photography from the University of Westminster in London. Since graduating, he has engaged with the nature of South African society through in-depth, socially conscious images. Godfrey’s work has been recognised both nationally and internationally by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, the International Photography Awards, and the Magenta Flash Forward Award and has been shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris.

Godfrey won the prestigious Ernest Cole Award for his submission of work titled Legacy of the Mine that exposes the devastating human, social and environmental impact of this pivotal industry. Memorial crosses formed part of the exhibition of this work at Wits Art Museum in 2013. It documents the simple white memorials to the 34 miners who died when police opened fire on striking miners at the Lonmin platinum mine on 16 August 2012. The site was photographed on 7 November, the day a memorial service was held for the miners. The crosses have subsequently been removed. The image powerfully and poignantly conveys the faceless invisibility of the men and families whose lives were destroyed by the tragedy

Provenance

Donated by the artist