South African artist Lebohang Kganye has been awarded the Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize for her exhibition “Haufi nyana? I’ve come to take you home” at Foam Amsterdam in 2024. The prize, which comes with a £30,000 endowment, was announced at The Photographers’ Gallery in London on May 16, 2024.
Through her photography projects, Lebohang’s projects tapped into shared oral narratives and fictional texts, putting together stories from her family and South African literature.
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Her installations create a space where memory and fantasy converge, using silhouettes, puppets, shadows, and ghosts to reenact these narratives.
By employing a variety of media, from photographic montages to film animation, Lebogang invites viewers to engage with themes of heritage, identity, and the multidimensional concept of home.
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The title of Kganye’s award-winning exhibition, “Haufi nyana?”, which means “too close?” in Sesotho, encapsulates the dialogue between artist and audience, touching on the connection between individuals and their sense of place.
Her skillful blending of images and words offers a perspective on the South African experience, contributing to the ongoing process of decolonization.
