Published on the occasion of Jantjes’ largest retrospective exhibition, which was inaugurated in Sharjah, UAE, and London, UK to date. Structured into chapters spanning the 1970s to the present, Gavin Jantjes: To be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 focuses on pivotal phases in the artist’s life, from his formative years in Cape Town, South Africa during the early years of apartheid regime (1948–1994), his transformative role at art institutions in the UK, Germany and Norway, his compelling figurative portrayals of the global Black struggle for freedom, to his recent transition to non-figurative painting. Jantjes’ journey embodies a quest for artistic emancipation, marked by a search for an autonomous form, freed from Eurocentric traditions and the limited expectations of Black creativity.
The book also focuses on Jantjes’ influence on the cultural landscape of London. His anti-apartheid print series A South African Colouring Book was shown at the ICA in 1976, and his role as both exhibiting artist and co-curator in the ground-breaking 1986 Whitechapel Gallery exhibition From Two Worlds cemented his position as a major voice in the UK’s arts scene.
“This beautifully made and brilliantly edited book is a befitting and comprehensive testimony to the work of Gavin Jantjes, one of South Africa’s most consequential artists of the last 50 years. What a superb companion to the equally splendid retrospective exhibition!”
“This publication and its accompanying exhibition feature the multifaceted significance of a very influential artist, activist, and curator. It underscores the expansive range of Gavin Jantjes’ experimental artistic practice across diverse mediums and formal languages. And it highlights his enduring contributions as an anti-apartheid cultural activist in South Africa, and his leading role in the UK and Norway in advancing artistic, curatorial, and institutional efforts to challenge Eurocentric art canons and elevate modern and contemporary art from diverse global perspectives.”
Salah M. Hassan is the Chancellor of Global Studies University (GSU) and Dean of The Africa Institute (GSU), Sharjah, where he also serves as Professor of African Art History and Visual Studies. He is Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Africana Studies and Director of the Institute for Comparative Modernities at Cornell University, USA. An art critic, curator, and editor, Hassan is the co-founder of Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (Duke University Press).
About the Book Published on the occasion of Jantjes’ largest retrospective exhibition, which was inaugurated in Sharjah, UAE, and London, UK to date. Structured into chapters spanning the 1970s to the present, Gavin Jantjes: To be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 focuses on pivotal phases in the artist’s life, from his formative years in Cape Town, South Africa during the early years of apartheid regime (1948–1994), his transformative role at art institutions in the UK, Germany and Norway, his compelling figurative portrayals of the global Black struggle for freedom, to his recent transition to non-figurative painting. Jantjes’ journey embodies a quest for artistic emancipation, marked by a search for an autonomous form, freed from Eurocentric traditions and the limited expectations of Black creativity.
Published on the occasion of Jantjes’ largest retrospective exhibition, which was inaugurated in Sharjah, UAE, and London, UK to date. Structured into chapters spanning the 1970s to the present, Gavin Jantjes: To be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 focuses on pivotal phases in the artist’s life, from his formative years in Cape Town, South Africa during the early years of apartheid regime (1948–1994), his transformative role at art institutions in the UK, Germany and Norway, his compelling figurative portrayals of the global Black struggle for freedom, to his recent transition to non-figurative painting. Jantjes’ journey embodies a quest for artistic emancipation, marked by a search for an autonomous form, freed from Eurocentric traditions and the limited expectations of Black creativity.
The book also focuses on Jantjes’ influence on the cultural landscape of London. His anti-apartheid print series A South African Colouring Book was shown at the ICA in 1976, and his role as both exhibiting artist and co-curator in the ground-breaking 1986 Whitechapel Gallery exhibition From Two Worlds cemented his position as a major voice in the UK’s arts scene.
“This beautifully made and brilliantly edited book is a befitting and comprehensive testimony to the work of Gavin Jantjes, one of South Africa’s most consequential artists of the last 50 years. What a superb companion to the equally splendid retrospective exhibition!”
“This publication and its accompanying exhibition feature the multifaceted significance of a very influential artist, activist, and curator. It underscores the expansive range of Gavin Jantjes’ experimental artistic practice across diverse mediums and formal languages. And it highlights his enduring contributions as an anti-apartheid cultural activist in South Africa, and his leading role in the UK and Norway in advancing artistic, curatorial, and institutional efforts to challenge Eurocentric art canons and elevate modern and contemporary art from diverse global perspectives.”
Salah M. Hassan is the Chancellor of Global Studies University (GSU) and Dean of The Africa Institute (GSU), Sharjah, where he also serves as Professor of African Art History and Visual Studies. He is Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Africana Studies and Director of the Institute for Comparative Modernities at Cornell University, USA. An art critic, curator, and editor, Hassan is the co-founder of Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (Duke University Press).
Salah M. Hassan
The Africa Institute (Sharjah, UAE), Sharjah Art Foundation, and Skira Editore (Milan, Italy)
English
978-88-572-5338-1
26 x 28 cm, hardcover
AED 208 | $55
2025
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