Daleside, by Cyprien Clément-Delmas and Lindokuhle Sobekwa

About

As part of the PhotoSaintGermain festival, Rubis Mécénat presents “Daleside”, a commission to French photographer Cyprien Clément-Delmas and South African photographer, Magnum Photos Associate and Of Soul and Joy alumni Lindokuhle Sobekwa. The photographic commission documents Daleside, an Afrikaner suburb in the south-east of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Over the course of five years, the two photographers have produced a portrait of Daleside, interacting with the place and its population of mostly mine workers and smallholders to express their aspirations and to reveal their distress. Looking beyond the deep-seated black/white binary, they depict the poverty afflicting black and white residents alike as forgotten members of society, stuck in a dead-end without a future. These images, set in counterpoint to present a portrait of Daleside, form a dense body of work and their impact is apparent when they are read in pairs or individually.

“The families that stay in Daleside are mostly the one that can’t go anywhere else. They can’t escape from this place. Daleside’s people dream about a better life or a different life. But, reality wake them up all the time. They are static dreamers, stuck in this town, in their lives and in their social class.” -- Cyprien Clément-Delmas

Young photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa was mentored by Cyprien Clément-Delmas as part of the Rubis Mécénat Of Soul and Joy project in Thokoza, South Africa. He is now a Magnum Photos Associate.

Of Soul and Joy

A platform to learn photography in South Africa

Of Soul and Joy is a long-term social art initiative initiated in 2012 by the endowment fund Rubis Mécénat in Thokoza, a township in the southeast of Johannesburg in South Africa. Its goal is to develop artistic skills in the field of photography amongst the township’s vulnerable youth, by providing an understanding of photography as a means of expression, in order to open-up new personal and professional horizons.

As a creative platform, Of Soul and Joy offers weekly workshops led by renowned photographers, collaborations with cultural institutions, encounters with art professionals, and organises artistic events in Africa and abroad.

Every year, the most promising students are awarded scholarships to pursue their studies in photography at the university of their choice, such as the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg.

Today, the programme attracts emerging photographers coming from the various townships surrounding Johannesburg, thus expanding its action.

Practical information

From 06 to 21 November 2020

PhotoSaintGermain festival

Rubis Mécénat hors-les-murs  - 12, rue Guénégaud 75006 Paris, France

Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm

Open on Sunday 15 November only, from 11am to 7pm