After directing the LV feat Okmalumkoolkat music video last year I got a new fascination with the Skhotane culture of South Africa. Everyone has an opinion on it and as per usual no one really knows anything about it. I decided to go out and spend some time in Orange Farm with my colleague Sello who runs the Real Action Pantsula Dance crew. He introduced me to some of the guys and it was interesting to see how and what the culture was all about.
Sello was more interested in the dance moves performed by the groups and we both had vast discussions around the way that Pantsula culture back in the day had very negative connotations surrounding it as guys used to commit crime to be able to afford the fashion they wore too and it too has been said that young Skhotanes will go to any measure to be able to afford their flashy clothes. However the group I met was mostly funded by one guy who had received a large payout from the road accident fund after been in an accident.
I decided to publish a story purely about their shoes, most of them a brand called Carvela, which is made in Italy and supposedly designed for driving sports cars, hence the reason why the boxes that they pose with have picture of Lambo's and Porche's on them. I also decided that in a culture which is mostly about been recognised it would be poignant to not show any of the faces of my subjects thus not buying into the culture. The story was published in the Paris based Clam magazine and you can see the article below.
The work was recently on exhibit at The Circa gallery in Rosebank, Johannesburg as part of a larger group show. I named the series at the exhibition Carvelas = Cash.
CT 2012
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