Break the Silence: Art and HIV/AIDS in South Africa

February 17, 2002 – April 28, 2002

Featuring colorful baskets and banners from women’s workshops in the Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province that were created to address the crippling effects of South Africa’s AIDS crisis, this exhibition investigated the many ways in which traditional and contemporary Zulu beadwork and weaving techniques are used to intervene in urgent social crises and concerns. Works included striking beaded dolls, beaded letters, panels and colorful telephone wire baskets, or imbenge, inscribed with words and images. Also on view were examples of the traditional Zulu beadwork and basketry that provide the inspiration for the contemporary design motifs that were in this exhibition.