acclaimed internationally for her immersive installations that confront urgent social concerns, with chorus at dallas contemporary, multidisciplinary south african artist gabrielle goliath makes her debut in the united states. housed in an immersive, elegiac audio-visual environment in which participants are encouraged to linger, two videos are projected onto large, free-standing blocks which are positioned in relation to each other and occupy darkened space with funeral gravity. the work is an elegy to uyinene mrwetyana, a 19-year-old student from the university of cape town who was brutally raped and murdered in 2019. the murder, which sparked national and international outrage, shone light on the epidemic of violence against women, children and lgbtiq people in south africa. goliath’s work remembers and honors these victims of gender-based violence.   

the 23-minute video captures a performance by the university of cape town choir, many of whom were school friends of mrwetyana, which collectively sounds a lament in her honor. over the course of the performance, the choir sustains a unified hum – a single note spread across the vocal range of the choir. on the other block is projected an empty choir rostra, which sits in silent relation to the performance – its quietude marking the absent presence of the individuals lost to the ongoing crisis of femicide in south africa. in its first showing, the work recalled the names of 463 victims on a commemorative roll within the exhibition space, covering the period of august 2019 to august 2021, now updated through august 2022 to bring the list to 680 named individuals for its dallas presentation.  

chorus is situated within goliath’s larger practice that centers around what she describes as “the life work of mourning.” early projects include berenice, an ongoing photography series of commemorative portraits that honor her childhood friend who died a victim of domestic violence, a formative moment in the artist’s life. in the series, goliath captures a portrait of a woman of color for each year that’s passed since the death of berenice in 1991, marking each year unlived by her friend. in 2015, goliath began staging performances of elegy, a durational project featuring seven operatically-trained women vocalists sustaining a single note of lament over the course of an hour. each performance is accompanied by an eulogistic text scripted by a family member or friend of the woman or lgbtiq person commemorated. elegy laid the foundation for chorus, altering the mourning of an individual to become a shared collective experience. the artist aims for her collective, durational work to present a different kind of aesthetic encounter, one she describes as, “not the spectacle of violence through which black, brown, femme, and queer bodies are routinely fixed, but rather a space for community, for relational encounter, and – hopefully – for a transformative work of mourning.” 

though chorus specifically commemorates victims of gender-based violence in south africa, the work resonates transnationally due to the devastating ubiquity of violence in our contemporary society at large, notably within the united states. the work’s resonance will take on a new meaning with an audience in a state still grieving the recent school shooting in uvalde, texas and the passing of texas’s senate bill 8.  

with chorus, goliath gives space for viewers to grieve and heal, for, as the artist has stated, “we cannot imagine and seek to realize a world otherwise, if we fail to mourn and bear with us those lost to or still surviving an order of violence we hope to–and must–transform.”  

“i am both honored and challenged to be presenting this work in texas, at a time in which many are still grieving the loss of nineteen students and two teachers shot and killed at robb elementary school in uvalde. the normativity of precarious life - of children and people of color – sustained by the racial and patriarchal norms of gun-culture in the US, resonates to a degree – across geographic, historical and sociopolitical lines of difference – with the violence enacted daily against women, children and LGBTIQ people in south africa. chorus is a work of mourning to be sure, but also of survival, and importantly hope – for we cannot imagine and seek to realize a world otherwise, if we fail to bear with us those lost to or still surviving an order of violence we hope to – and must – transform. and this is a work for all of us. i am, of course, also acutely aware of the complex relation of this emphatically black decolonial feminist work to the political and ethical crisis attending the recent overturning of roe vs. wade, and its devastating implications for so many women. within this context of difficulty, chorus offers an important opportunity to relate across difference, and i believe, for those who open themselves to it, a space in which to grieve, heal, imagine and yes, hope,” said gabrielle goliath, artist.

the exhibition is curated by emily edwards, assistant curator. 

gabrielle goliath, chorus, 2021, 2-channel video & sound installation. photo by kevin todora.

on the 24th of august 2019, uyinene mrwetyana, a 19-year old student at the university of cape town, was raped, tortured and bludgeoned to death by luyanda botha, who worked at her local post office. the following day botha dumped her remains in an open field, dousing her body with petrol and setting it alight.

uyinene’s murder sparked public outcry: vigils were held, people wore black, thousands gathered in protest outside the south african parliament in cape town, and nationwide. in response, the government acknowledged gender-based violence (gbv) and femicide as a national crisis, assigning over a billion south african rand to emergency interventions and initiating a ‘national strategic plan’ for gbv. the puncture, exception and profound national reckoning of this crisis-moment held for many the promise of an historic turning point.  

the days and then months that followed, however, gave way once more to the steady, incremental and terrifying reality of this crisis as norm, as an everyday of permissible violence. women, children, trans and nonbinary individuals continue to be victimised and killed. this is the violence of rape culture, rooted in the deep structure and social wounding of white, colonial, patriarchal power, and daily reconstituted through the misogynistic, homophobic and afrophobic behaviours of toxic masculinity. it is a violence of ambivalence, a disavowal of the human, through which raced, gendered and sexualized bodies remain the rapeable, killable, disposable matter of ungrievable life.

in chorus, members of the university of cape town choir sound a lament for uyinene mrwetyana – not as song, but the internally generated resonance of a hum, collectively sustained as a mutual offering of breath. in the utter loss marked by this labour, a certain recuperative gesture is nevertheless achieved, asserting conditions for hope in the communal recognition of black feminine life. the choir’s performance resonates in intimate relation to the haunting presence of an empty rostra, its quietude marking the absent presence of six hundred and eighty individuals listed on a commemorative roll, whose lost lives similarly call for the long, collective, and as we must hope, transformative work of mourning.

chorus is presented with the blessing of the uyinene mrwetyana foundation.

24 august 2019 - 16 august 2022 

uyinene mrwetyana (24 august 2019), verusha padayachee (26 august 2019), jesse hess (30th august 2019), aviwe wellem (31 august 2019), sisanda fani (31 august 2019*), janika mello (1 september 2019*), angelique clarke-abrahams (3 september 2019), kuhlekonke mpungose (3 september 2019), khwezi mpungose (3 september 2019), siphesihle mpungose (3 september 2019), ayakha jiyane (3 september 2019), phontso kwenaite (4 september 2019*), chantal dean (4 september 2019), unidentified woman found in gugulethu, western cape (6 september 2019*), unidentified woman found in khayelitsha, western cape (6 september 2019), nwabisa mthumeni (6 september 2019), thandi mampane (7 september 2019*), unidentified woman found in grassy park, western cape (8 september 2019), dylan neethling (8 september 2019), lungani hopyane (9 september 2019*), unidentified girl found in emzinoni, mpumalanga (9 september 2019*), natasha conabeer (9 september 2019), sue ann klaasen (12 september 2019), clarissa lindoor (14 september 2019*), unidentified woman and three children found in elsies river, cape town (17 september 2019), karen turner (17 september 2019), bukeka sigungqa (19 september 2019), sinethemba ndlovu (21 september 2019), unidentified woman found in amanzimtoti, kwazulu-natal (23 september 2019*), sammy mqadi (25 september 2019*), pumla ntombela (26 september 2019), nhlanhla ntombela (26 september 2019), bajabulile ntombela (26 september 2019), unidentified girl found in gelvandale, port elizabeth (29 september 2019*), vivian kunene (3 october 2019), basetsana kgarole (5 october 2019), michaela booysen (6 october 2019), khanyisile ntanga (6 october 2019), mirah wilks (6 october 2019), thandi thato (9 october 2019), aphiwe mbulawa (11 october 2019), arvitha doodnath (12 october 2019), priscilla du toit (14 october 2019), boitumelo matsekoleng (15 october 2019), hershel fynn (15 october 2019), ernestine muller braaf (21 october 2019), allison plaatjies (27 october 2019*), lwazi andile tembe (30 october 2019*), leighandre jegels (30 october 2019), shakira van staden (3 november 2019*), bongi mashaba-masimula (6 november 2019*), unidentified woman found in rosedale, northern cape (7 november 2019*), samoline solomons (10 november 2019), cebisile luphondwe (11 november 2019), nonhlanhla mphahlele (17 november 2019), bianca matroos (17 november 2019), fathima bee bee muhammad (18 november 2019*), unidentified woman found in tongaat, kwazulu-natal (18 november 2019), unidentified woman found in vanderbijlpark, gauteng (18 november 2019), mapula jaquiline thekiso (18 november 2019*), yvonne moyana (23 november 2019), shakira links (23 november 2019*), precious ramabulana (24 november 2019), kwanele fezile zuma (25 november 2019), unidentified woman found in the eastern cape (26 november 2019*), nokholekile rangana (26 november 2019*), kgaugelo tshawae (28 november 2019), unidentified woman found and daughter in sebokeng, gauteng (29 november 2019), gomolemo legae (1 december 2019), bongeka mgqobozi (2 december 2019), sibongile nkanyane (3 december 2019*), patricia ellis (5 december 2019*), catherine irving (7 december 2019), nthabiseng rampai (7 december 2019), portia ramakavhi (7 december 2019), unidentified woman found in vuwani, limpopo (7 december 2019), unidentified grandmother and two granddaughters found in the eastern cape (7 december 2019*), unidentified woman found in keimoes, northern cape (8 december 2019*), ayesha kelly (8 december 2019), entle komisa (9 december 2019*), unidentified woman found in kleinkrantz, western cape (9 december 2019*), unidentified woman found in montclair, kwazulu-natal (10 december 2019), unidentified girl found in nongoma, kwazulu-natal (10 december 2019), thandi mathebula (10 december 2019), sharon mathebula (10 december 2019), buyelwa malila (10 december 2019*), asemahle mtsorha (10 december 2019*), athenkosi zondi (10 december 2019*), unidentified woman and son found in manzana, engcobo, eastern cape (11 december 2019), philisiwe msomi (11 december 2019), celiwe msomi (11 december 2019), liam nortjé (14 december 2019*), sindi ndlovu (17 december 2019), dominique du plooy (20 december 2019), valentino grootetjie (21 december 2019), unidentified boy found in kuilsriver, western cape (21 december 2019*), mbali mkhize (23 december 2019*), paballo nkosazana potloane (23 december 2019), unidentified woman found in killarney, johannesburg (24 december 2019), emihle emza manzima (25 december 2019), allisandre floors (27 december 2019*), sphumlile pearl zuke (28 december 2019), portia simphiwe mtshweni (28 december 2019*), laurencia zinhle mathebula (28 december 2019*), zinhle muthwa (2 january 2020), siyabonga buthelezi (2 january 2020), nare mphela (5 january 2020), zanele biyo (5 january 2020*), wanter dlamini (6 january 2020), vuyokazi mgolodela (7 january 2020*), magdeline mpana mahlokwane (8 january 2020), unidentified woman found in driekop, limpopo (8 january 2020), alime mbasha (9 january 2020), michaela williams (9 january 2020), unidentified mother and daughter found in lesetlheng, north west (11 january 2020), lorna shivambu (13 january 2020*), unidentified woman found in northdene, kwazulu-natal (15 january 2020*), unidentified girl found in durban, kwazaulu-natal (15 january 2020), unidentified infant found in durban, kwazaulu-natal (15 january 2020), nomusa ‘merry’ myeni (15 january 2020*), tina naudé (16 january 2020), henko naudé (16 january 2020), lizelle naudé (16 january 2020), daleen (17 january 2020), shongile nkwashu (19 january 2020*), kavitha nerputh (20 january 2020*), mampho motsumi (22 january 2020), unidentified woman found in bethelsdorp, eastern cape (23 january 2020*), laticia jansen (24 january 2020*), unidentified girl in germiston, gauteng (24 january 2020*) yasmin ibrahim (26 january 2020), nkanyiso mtshweni (28 january 2020), kholofelo morerwa (30 january 2020), jocelyn claasen (2 february 2020*), unidentified woman found in rietvale, northern cape (2 february 2020), vuyokazi dzoyi (2 february 2020), nthabiseng mafereka (2 february 2020*), arlene manuel (3 february 2020), lindokuhle cele (6 february 2020), tazne van wyk (7 february 2020*), amila kawa (10 february 2020*), gail van as-roberts (10 february 2020),tshidi mocheko (10 february 2020*), clodine nuys (11 february 2020), unidentified woman found in kayamandi, western cape (11 february 2020*), unidentified boy found in mokopane, limpopo (12 february 2020), phumza skade (12 february 2020*), mokete kekana (16 february 2020), makhosazana ngcobo (17 february 2020*), kutlwano masilo (18 february 2020), katlego phasha (18 february 2020), joyce phasha (18 february 2020), tshepo phasha (18 february 2020), adel phasha (18 february 2020), milandre van wyk (19 february 2020*), unidentified woman found in missionvale, port elizabeth (21 february 2020*), unidentified woman found in hekpoort, gauteng (22 february 2020), caylinn links (23 february 2020*), unidentified girl found in soweto, gauteng (23 february 2020), susanna nell (24 february 2020), muriel adendorf (25 february 2020), emaan solomons (25 february 2020), maritza van der linde (25 february 2020), nomvula “juba” buthelezi (25 february 2020), unidentified girl found in delmas, mpumalanga (25 february 2020*), petula williams (26 february 2020), guitabali samgi (28 february 2020*), sibusiso dakuse (28 february 2020*), reagan gertse (1 march 2020*), roxanne thanthoni (1 march 2020), merisa maritz (1 march 2020), adnaan davids (3 march 2020*), michelle moloi (5 march 2020), mikael moloi (5 march 2020), unidentified pregnant woman found in vredenburg, western cape (6 march 2020), mercia kleinbooi (7 march 2020), claudine rampersad (12 march 2020), carly isaacs (15 march 2020), cleo pillay (15 march 2020*), unidentified woman found in sterkspruit, eastern cape (15 march 2020), zaskia davids (16 march 2020), tiyiselani nokuthula rikhotso (17 march 2020*), jacy-lee martin (21 march 2020), liyabona mabishi (21 march 2020), annisi meyer (29 march 2020), mohanua kobedi (29 march 2020*), unidentified woman found in kwaggafontein, mpumalanga (30 march 2020*), unidentified woman found in kwamhlanga, mpumalanga (30 march 2020*), unidentified woman found in seymour, eastern cape (31 march 2020), unidentified child in seymour, eastern cape (31 march 2020), unidentified woman found in seymour, eastern cape (31 march 2020), unidentified woman found in seymour, eastern cape (31 march 2020, unidentified woman found in willowvale, eastern cape (3 april 2020), simphiwe sibeko (3 april 2020*), mzwandile zitho (15 april 2020*), akhona gumede (25 april 2020*), nosipho gumede (25 april 2020*), unidentified woman found in mitchells plain, western cape (26 april 2020*), premla moodley (3 may 2020), unidentified woman found in katlehong, gauteng (5 may 2020), nolundi dondolo (5 may 2020), simbongile nono mancotywa (9 may 2020), tebogo matsane-mabunda (14 may 2020), lesego mosia (16 may 2020*), koketso mosia (16 may 2020*), unidentified woman found in emalahleni, mpumalanga (16 may 2020), unidentified woman and two sons found in sasolburg, free state (17 may 2020*), kgothatso pula (22 may 2020*), unidentified girl and boy found in lenasia, gauteng (23 may 2020), ncomeka tenyane (24 may 2020), unidentified woman found in makhuva, giyani, limpopo (26 may 2020*), sibongiseni gabada (29 may 2020*), bridgenay slingers (30 may 2020*), bandile skosana (31 may 2020*), alexia nyamadzawo (2 june 2020*), luyanda nkambule (5 june 2020), nompumelelo tshaka (5 june 2020*), naledi phangindawo (6 june 2020), bonolo selaolo’s unborn child (7 june 2020), khulekani shabalala (7 june 2020), ntuthuko dlamini (7 june 2020), tshegofatso pule (8 june 2020), asanda siyoko (8 june 2020), unidentified woman found in kabokweni, mpumalanga (10 june 2020), sanelisiwe mfaba (12 june 2020), altecia kortjie (12 june 2020), raynecia kortjie (12 june 2020), unidentified woman found in dopsenville, gauteng (12 june 2020*), unidentified woman found in lusikisiki, eastern cape (12 june 20*), unidentified girl found in lusikisiki, eastern cape (12 june 20*), botshelo motsomi (13 june 2020), kirvan fortuin (13 june 2020), ntwanano shisana (13 june 2020*), unidentified woman found along golden highway, gauteng (14 june 2020*), unidentified woman found in eersterust, gauteng (14 june 2020*), lindelwa peni (15 june 2020*), arin esterhuizen (15 june 2020), unidentified woman found in benoni, gauteng (15 june 2020*) zanele masikane (16 june 2020*), ansia kheha (18 june 2020*), unidentified woman found in orange farm, gauteng (18 june 2020*), matshiso mosweti (18 june 2020), amahle quku (20 june 2020*), shaida nathan (21 june 2020), emihle msindo (21 june 2020*), amanda mthembu (22 june 2020*), zuziwe mvinjana (23 june 2020*), zandile xulu (27 june 2020*), rehanie potgieter, (27 june 2020), lesedi mokgosi (29 june 2020), khumontle mokgosi (29 june 2020*), zilandile xulu (30 june 2020*), judith redelinghuys ( 30 june 2020*), zakiyya ahmedjan ismail (4 july 2020), sefora tjobo (4 july 2020), nelisiwe dube (6 july 2020*), unidentified woman found in ivory park, northern cape (9 july 2020*), thokozile kubheka (10 july 2020), sibahle mkhize (14 july 2020*), juliette dakada (17 july 2020), unidentified girl found in barrydale, western cape (18 july 2020*), akhona mncube (20 july 2020), beauty seamisang (20 july 2020*), dumsile anasiudu nxumalo (23 july 2020), evelyn nkanyane (25 july 2020), phumeza pepeta (26 july 2020), mabareki carlifonia molamodi (27 july 2020*), unidentified girl found in eerste river, cape town (28 july 2020), wendy kebe (30 july 2020), nomaphelo kebe (30 july 2020), unidentified girl found in rustenburg, north west (30 july 2020*), sive kebe (30 july 2020), unidentified girl found in rustenburg, north west (3 august 2020), hlengiwe msimango (3 august 2020), shenice jonathan (7 august 2020*), zama chiliza (11 august 2020*), moipone khoele (13 august 2020), faith mlilwana (14 august 2020*) jayshree singh (15 august 2020), dorcas jane rathokana (16 august 2020), mudzunga muvhulawa (16 august 2020), caroline edzisani muvhulawa (16 august 2020), anneline hesebeck (18 august 2020), asithandile ‘kwasa’ zozo lungalo (18 august 2020*), nomvuso atoli (20 august 2020), nkosiphile nkambule (20 august 2020), luis simone (20 august 2020), katlego modisane (20 august 2020), nicole bester (22 august 2020), tshilidzi masase (24 august 2020), matsie dhladhla (24 august 2020), tebello motshele (24 august 2020), botshelo motshele (24 august 2020), ayanda mnyaka (24 august 2020), unidentified woman and two grandsons found in pretoria glen, gauteng (24 august 2020*), unidentified woman found in strandfontein, western cape (24 august 2020*), unidentified woman found in tembisa, gauteng (24 august 2020*), patricia williams (24 august 2020*), unidentified woman found in schaapkraal, western cape (25 august 2020*), unidentified woman found in vosloorus, gauteng (25 august 2020), unidentified woman found in vosloorus, gauteng (25 august 2020), nathanial julius (27 august 2020), grace mudau (29 august 2020), kagiso kale (3 september 2020), juanita willemse (4 september 2020), thandeka mdeliswa (5 september 2020), shakeena karriem (6 september 2020), kgaogelo shai (7 september 2020*), unidentified woman found in mthatha, eastern cape (7 september 2020), nwabisa ‘nasiphi’ dwaza (7 september 2020), hettie deacon (10 september 2020*), lizette deacon (10 september 2020*), boipelo sesele (12 september 2020*), zameka mfubesi (18 september 2020), sanelisiwe mhlongo (24 september 2020*), tracy-lee collins (24 september 2020), themba nkumbi (26 september 2020), chantal kershaw (30 september 2020), nosipho mbuyisa nyembe (30 september 2020), thobeka goxa (6 october 2020*), simangele simamane (6 october 2020*), sbongakonke mthembu (6 october 2020*), sanjay borman (9 october 2020*), ebenezer ndebele (12 october 2020), bathabile colleen phohlo (17 october 2020*), inathi mhlahlo (26 october 2020*), unidentified woman and 5 children found in dabekwene, eastern cape (20 october 2020*), fikile ntshangase (22 october 2020), mpharwane makumane (23 october 2020), unidentified woman and daughter found in tienbank, eastern cape (30 october 2020*), jessica weyers (2 november 2020), glenn chanuwor (3 november 2020), jordan moore (6 november 2020), melvinia adler (8 november 2020), jovante adler (8 november 2020), angela thutso moitse (9 november 2020), snegugu linda (16 november 2020*), lauren braiden (20 november 2020), unidentified boy found in thembalihle area, estcourt (26 november 2020*), sherne pillay (28 november 2020*), zazi nzama (28 november 2020*), natasjia geldenhuys (29 november 2020*), joan joyi (2 december 2020), nomathamsanqa soqhaga (3 december 2020*), belinda huyzers (4 december 2020), phuti ramara (7 december 2020*), unidentified woman found in ipelegeng, north west (19 december 2020), anna-marie steenkamp (21 december 2020), nonhlanhla angel dyasi (24 december 2020), salvana seloane (27 december 2020*), queen mnyantse (26 december 2020), matimu xolani (29 december 2020*), patronicia ‘mandy’ jordaan (7 january 2020*), jallian jamilah van staden (9 january 2021), tsholofelo tholofelo tsheko (12 january 2021), chantelle ash (14 january 2021*), tasneem ash (14 january 2021*), noxolo nancy mesilane (15 january 2021*), tshepiso maekisa (18 january 2021*), bavikile dlomo (5 feburary 2021), mpho sekoboto (7 february 2021*), hayley ‘heyla’ smith (11 february 2021*), tshepo daisy makola (9 february 2021), bonang gaelae (12 february 2021), kwenzekile potgieter (14 february 2021*), thokozani mbatha (20 february 2021), octavia khumalo (20 february 2021), christopher khumalo (20 february 2021), mbali khumalo (20 february 2021), thabo khumalo (20 february 2021), anothando sgampu (20 february 2021), faranaaz mentor (25 february 2021*), miche samuels (4 march 2021), mapula khune (4 march 2021), nonhlanhla kunene (5 march 2021*), muriel armugam (8 march 2021), unidentified child in magagadolo, kwazulu-natal (14 march 2021*), zinhle joy xulu (14 march 2021), melissa charlene dedericks (24 march 2021*), renée jain (26 march 2021*), mapheto caroline rathupetjane (25 march 2021*), thapelo selina rathupetjane (25 march 2021*), denise roman (29 march 2021), zandile vara (28 march 2021), sphamandla khoza (29 march 2021*), andile ‘lulu’ ntuthela (31 march 2021*), nkosingiphile mazibuko (1 april 2021), nathaniel ‘spokgoane’ mbele (2 april 2021), jostina sangweni (5 april 2021), shameema doherty (8 april 2021), lonwabo nolte (17 april 2021), ravishka roopnarain (18 april 2021*), lonwabo jack (18 april 2021*), soraya roberts (18 april 2021), lucky kleinboy mosthabi (24 april 2021), naadira vanker (27 april 2021*), phelokazi mqathana (1 may 2021*), phelokazi ndlwana (2 may 2021), dimakatso lebelo (3 may 2021*), charne viljoen (3 may 2021*), khulekani gomazi (3 april 2021), yolandi botes (4 may 2021*), tshepo rakoma (6 may 2021), lindiwe mogale (6 may 2021), nnini pule (13 may 2021*), lindokuhle mapu (9 may 2021), noluvuyo ponono (15 may 2021*), genesis williams (26 may 2021), michelle valentine (26 may 2021), henrietta nzimanda (27 may 2021), yolin kannemeyer (28 may 2021), aubrey boshoga (29 may 2021), sinovuyo magatya (30 may 2021), nontsikelelo ndlebe (5 june 2021), thembani mohati (6 june 2021), masixole level (6 june 2021), hlengiwe madlala (6 june 2021*), sbahle luyanda ndlela (6 june 2021), anele bhengu (13 june 2021*), bianca thandroyen (12 june 2021), corli van der walt (12 june 2021), lulama mvandaba (11 june 2021*), valencia williams (17 june 2021), sam junior mbatha (17 june 2021), motse loeketsi (18 june 2021*), siphiwe nzoyi (12 june 2021), simthandile skeyi (21 june 2021), keitumetse tumelo (24 june 2021), lona doli (26 june 2021), lithemba madela (20 june 2021), sheila labelo (28 june 2021*), philisiwe mvubu (29 june 2021), phakama ntshentshe (3 july 2021), tamara padi (7 july 2021), nokuthula bolitye (12 july 2021), charlene october (12 july 2021), andrea jordaan (13 july 2021), puleng sefuthi (13 july 2021), athini mangqoyiya (17 july 2021), unidentified woman found in khayelitsha, western cape (17 july 2021), khanya msuthu (25 july 2021), amogelang kgonyane (26 july 2021*), thapelo sehata (28 july 2021*), silindokuhle mnyikizo (31 july 2021), chisimango gumbo (august 2021*), jane letswalo (august 2021*), cynthia doubell (1 august 2021*), siphokazi bokili (8 august 2021), meagan liedeman (9 august 2021), deborah moila (10 august 2021), cindy mnguni (10 august 2021), eunice moloko (11 august 2021), samantha zungu (13 august 2021), nosicelo mtebeni (19 august 2021*), flo schwartz (20 august 2021), pheliswa “dolly” sawutana (21 august 2021*), patricia juliet ndlovu (22 august 2021*), babita deokaran (23 august 2021), iris potgieter (25 august 2021), nonjabulo mogale (26 august 2021), nikita maloni (27 august 2021), phumeza nomzazi (29 august 2021), nolovuyo ndema-nonkwelo (30 august 2021*), shaida banu sheik (31 august*), andrea cholo (september 2021*), thandiswa molefe (1 september 2021*), kutlwano madiseng (3 september 2021*), natasha prince (7 september 2021), vuyelwa mokoena (10 september 2021*), sinathi magqazana (11 september 2021), kamogelo raphasha (14 september 2021*), tshegofatso raphasha (14 september 2021*), thembani mbali jele (15 september 2021), zulfa fisher (11 september 2021), asiphe mdodana (17 september 2021), jacqueline mpontsane (20 september 2021), rencia remonae meyer (20 september 2021), lamees dilman (23 september 2021*), dineo patricia tiro (25 september 2021), sisanda gumede (26 september 2021), unam nkasele (27 september 2021), zintle nkasele (27 september 2021), siyasanga nkasele (27 september 2021), rhucian-kay lawak (29 september 2021), scarlett cottle (29 september 2021), sarah mothiba (october 2021*), moleboheng mothibeli (october 2021*), eva khomotso makhura (october 2021*), mpho sanah sinyatsi (october 2021*), sinawo mani (1 october 2021), phumzile dlamini (3 october 2021), nokwanda magugu-patocka (4 october 2021), zimasile zubair shabangu (4 october 2021), phemeza madze (4 october 2021*), aza zathu (5 october 2021*), cynthia williams (11 october 2021), liezel de jager (13 october 2021), ann hodson-gabriels (16 october 2021) , sibabalwe kasibe (17 october 2021), glenda ndlanzi (18 october 2021), mbali hlongwane (21 october 2021), lia anita adeline (22 october 2021*), olwethu zwane (22 october 2021), vicki terblanche (23 october 2021*), usher langeveldt (24 october 2021), nosipho shazi (31 october 2021*), tshwanelo seleke (1 november 2021), tanya oakes (5 november 2021), gwen mziba (6 november 2021), kamogelo sithole (6 november 2021*), nosiphe mkrabalala (7 november 2021*), buyisiwe dube (8 november 2021), angelique fourie (8 november 2021), pontsho ngomane (13 november 2021), anneline titus (17 november 2021), cileachia logan roseburg (20 november 2021*), sabrina issacs (21 november 2021), unidentified girl found in kwasobabili village, ntabamhlope (25 november 2021), shumeez ismail (28 november 2021), ntomboxolo xhobane (28 november 2021), nomaphelo sifuba (28 november 2021), carmen rossouw (4 december 2021), tshinakaho munyai (4 december 2021), roberta sing (5 december 2021), larvice nashiville (5 december 2021), tumelo mamahudu sesheune (8 december 2021), veronique “nicky” jacobs (12 december 2021), enkosi nkolisa (17 december 2021), sinalo klause (17 december 2021), nkusa lett mofokeng (19 december 2021*), caswell frans (20 december 2021*), tshegofatso matibako (23 december 2021*), uhtmaan taliep (27 december 2021), olwethu gaju (27 december 2021*), buhle xaba (30 december 2021), sharon deetlefs (30 december 2021), mahlatse precious machubeni (1 january 2022), natasha booise (2 january 2022), patricia “trish” cockerell (3 january 2022*), matshepo cleo malefane (5 january 2022*), jamilah van staden (8 january 2022), elene lino (9 january 2022), unidentified mother and aunt found in kwandaba area, umhlabuyalingana (10 january 2022), thembisile ngedane (21 january 2022), abongile mabusela (23 january 2022), sisipho mayile (21 january 2022*), atlegang kiara nchoe (27 january 2022), asisipho njovane (28 january 2022), jerobiojin van wyk (2 february 2022*), unidentified toddler found in port st johns, tankini area (4 february 2022), zanele vundla (4 february 2022), lebogang monene (9 february 2022), charlene naicker (11 february 2022), chazlyn naicker (11 february 2022), ainzlee naicker (11 february 2022), sanelisiwe ntwenhle sibiya (11 february 2022), asiphe nqolaba (13 february 2022), kaylan dewaal (13 february 2022), tlalane ngotshane (13 february 2022), shingai mutsamanyi (13 february 2021), annemique manho (14 february 2022), almique manho (14 february 2022), sinawo nono (14 february 2022), amanda damba (16 february 2022), charlotte madolo (19 february 2022), nomathamsanqa “thami” fani (22 february 2022*), gaitewe kabasia (24 february 2022), bongela madini (28 february 2022*), thiwe masengeni (3 march 2022*), natasha wheeler barnard (4 march 2022), sandakahle manana (4 march 2022), mercisha tedpaul (4 march 2022*), simphiwe mira (5 march 2022), asimbonge shongwe (6 march 2022), arlene lucas (6 march 2022), kgomotso maropola (9 march 2022), pinky shongwe (13 march 2022), tebogo sefolo (19 march 2022), seneo legodi (19 march 2022), itumeleng makhura (20 march 2020*), tshepang makhura (20 march 2020*), hombisa nana mafuduka (24 march 2022*), mathlogonolo moditse (24 march 2022*), ryan swayze (25 march 2022), sibusiso zwane (25 march 2022), nkosenhle lwandile ndimande (28 march 2022*), relbogile segami (30 march 2022), thobile mkhize (early april 2022*), lameez johnson (3 april 2022), zuraya barden (8 april 2022), emihle tukani (9 april), amanda lightfoot (14 april 2022), monique cottle (16 april 2022), tamika solomons (18 april 2022), singwa namhla mtwa (21 april 2022), eva anna radebe (24 april 2022), zameka ngoyi kosi (24 april 2022), musa xulu (27 april 2022), asithandile same (29 april 2022), candice robertson (30 april 2022), casey-lee trim (1 may 2022), hilary gardee (3 may 2022), charlotte mabena (4 may 2021*), xache wiedeman (6 may 2022), juane ray wiedeman (6 may 2022), kedisaletse mosoane (9 may 2022), unathi weba (9 may 2022), jackie naidoo (9 may 2022), chevonne rusch (11 may 2022), unidentified mother and son found in viljoenskroon, free state (14 may 2022), daniëlle van der linde (15 may 2022), fezile nxumalo (18 may 2022*), thobani khambula (18 may 2022*), khuthala mpalala (19 may 2022), bontle mashiyane (21 may 2022), enzokuhle thweni (22 may 2022), lehlogonolo khoabane (26 may 2022), katleho khoabane (26 may 2022), tebogo khoabane (26 may 2022), chrystalene rispel (27 may 2022), nosiphiwo mafongonyawo (28 may 2022), unidentified woman found in rustenburg, gauteng (31 may 2022), asanda mkhize (31 may 2022*), hester o’neill (1 june 2022), mpho falithenjwa (2 june 2022), lesedi radebe (4 june 2022*), emanuel mouers (4 june 2022), margaretha willemse (4 june 2022), vathiswa langa (5 june 2022), bohlale radebe (6 june 2022*), el-jay wallen meyer (7 june 2022*), lebogang mthembu (10 june 2022), faried atson (11 june 2022), shamielah arendse (21 june 2022), thobeka msomi (22 june 2022), zanele ndlela (27 june 2022), tania mbalo (27 june 2022*), smangele ndlela (27 june 2022), zenande ndlela (27 june 2022), refiloe gift malope (27 june 2022*), lindokuhle makotshi (29 june 2022), angie mafatshe (29 june 2022), themba zulu (early july 2022*), masabata phiri (3 july 2022), angie mafatshe (3 july 2022), neo refemetswe tlhame (5 july 2022*), ashrika seeripat (9 july 2022), kim-joy arnold (9 july 2022), dorianne lock (11 july 2022), mandy makola (11 july 2022), ntebeng flora manzi (19 july 2022), akhona mkhize (20 july 2022*), daffidol faro (23 july 2022), ashieka erasmus (23 july 2022), rashieda brown (24 july 2022), thabang klaas (25 july 2022*), 2 unidentified schoolgirls found in ngwangwane village, kwazulu-natal (31 july 2022), xolile thoko mbatha (31 july 2022), amanda zulu (31 july 2022), minenhle buthelezi (31 july 2022), siphokazi makana (31 july 2022), aviwe mkhosi (1 august 2022*), aqeela schroeder (9 august 2022), jackie needham (11 august 2022), thabisile masinini (16 august 2022), and those unnamed…

note: this roll of names details cases of women, children, trans and gender non-conforming individuals killed in south africa, following the rape and murder of uyinene mrwetyana on 24 august 2019 at the hands of luyanda botha. included in the list are fifteen pregnant women and four men and a boy who died in attempts to intervene in incidents of gender-based violence (gbv). the six hundred and eighty fatalities listed are drawn from available data and reflect only a fraction of the national statistics for gbv and femicide in south africa, where violence against women, children, trans and nonbinary individuals is on the rise. according to recent police reports for 2022, 893 women were murdered in south africa between january and march alone, as were 306 children under the age of 17 years. 

(*) these dates mark the days that the bodies of deceased individuals were found or identified and may not be the exact dates of their passing. in other cases, these dates indicate estimated timeframe or the day that a perpetrator made a confession without revealing the official date of the murder in question.

the compilation of this commemorative roll would not have been possible without the ongoing labours of activists, social workers and members of the press, who continue to report on cases of gbv, femicide and hate crimes enacted against members of the lgbtiq+ community. special acknowledgement is due to the commemorative work of platforms such as keep the energy, women for change, mamba online, gala queer archive, and cindy september’s fallen angel’s list, as well as the gender-advocacy and care work of (amongst others) rape crisis, powa, and the uyinene mrwetyana foundation. thank you also to antidote projects, kundai moyo, and others whose care-filled support was integral to the collecting, detailing and collating of cases – and, wherever possible, to the naming of individuals.

portrait of gabrielle goliath by anthea pockroy

about gabrielle goliath

gabrielle goliath was born in kimberley, south africa. she is currently a ph.d. candidate at the institute for creative arts, and holds a master’s degree with distinction in fine art from the university of the witwatersrand. the conditions of hope that underscore the social encounters of her work as for what she terms a life-work of mourning – or “to imagine and seek to realize the world otherwise is to bear with us those lost to or still surviving an order of violence we hope to and must transform.”

goliath’s immersive installations have shown across south africa and internationally. recent exhibitionsinclude this song is for…, kunsthaus baselland, basel;the normal, talbot rice gallery, edinburg; this song is for…,konsthall c, stockholm; our red sky, göteborgs konsthall,gothenburg; and the power of my hands, musée d’artmoderne, paris. she has won a number of awardsincluding a future generation art prize/special prize(2019), the standard bank young artist award (2019),and the institut français, afrique en créations prize atthe bamako biennale (2017). her work features innumerous public and private collections, includingkunsthalle zürich,tate modern, iziko south africannational gallery, johannesburg art gallery, wits art museum and others.

gabrielle goliath: coro

25 de septiembre de 2022 - 19 de marzo de 2023

aclamada internacionalmente por sus instalaciones inmersivas que confrontan intrincadas cuestiones sociales, la artista multidisciplinaria sudafricana gabrielle goliath debuta en estados unidos en el dallas contemporary este otoño con la presentación de su inquietante videoinstalación multicanal coro – una elegía a las víctimas de la violencia de género. con una práctica que indaga en la identidad y en las condiciones actuales de la vida negra, morena, femenina y queer, la obra de goliath hace una importante declaración en un momento en estados unidos en el que se cuestionan urgentemente complicados temas de justicia y libertades civiles. tras su debut inicial en la goodman gallery de ciudad del cabo (sudáfrica) en 2021, la conmovedora y monumental instalación de video y sonido de dos canales de goliath se ofrecerá a nuevos públicos en estados unidos. alojados en un entorno audiovisual inmersivo y elegíaco en el que se anima a los participantes a quedarse, se proyectan dos videos en grandes bloques independientes que se colocan uno en relación con el otro y ocupan el espacio oscuro con una gravedad fúnebre, y con razón. la obra es una elegía a uyinene mrwetyana, una estudiante de 19 años de la universidad de ciudad del cabo que fue brutalmente violada y asesinada en 2019. el asesinato, que desató la indignación nacional e internacional, arrojó luz sobre la epidemia de violencia contra las mujeres, los niños y las personas LGBTIQ en sudáfrica. la obra de goliath coro recuerda y honra a estas víctimas de la violencia de género. el sofocante video de 23 minutos captura la actuación del coro de la universidad de ciudad del cabo que interpreta colectivamente un lamento para mrwetyana.

en el transcurso de la interpretación, el grupo coral mantiene un zumbido colectivo, una sola nota que se extiende por todo el rango vocal del coro. en el otro bloque se proyecta una tarima de coro vacía que se sitúa en silencio en relación con la interpretación – su quietud marca la presencia ausente de mujeres, niños y personas LGBTIQ asesinadas en Sudáfrica. en su p r i m e r a proyección la obra recordó los nombres de 463 víctimas en una lista conmemorativa dentro del espacio de la exhibición, que abarcaba el período de agosto de 2019 a agosto de 2021. la instalación de 2022 en el dallas contemporary incluirá una lista actualizada, ya que la obra hace un seguimiento de la actual crisis de feminicidios en sudáfrica, llamando a los participantes a comprometerse en el largo, colectivo y, como debemos esperar, transformador trabajo de duelo. tras su presentación en el dallas contemporary, coro viajará a la bienal de kochi-muziris a finales de este año. "me siento honrada y ante un desafío al presentar este trabajo en texas, en un momento en el que muchos siguen llorando la pérdida de diecinueve estudiantes y dos profesores baleados en la escuela primaria de robb en uvalde. la normatividad de la vida precaria –de los niños y las personas de color– sostenida por las normas raciales y patriarcales de la cultura de las armas en estados unidos resuena en cierta medida –a través de las líneas geográficas, históricas y sociopolíticas de diferencia– con la violencia promulgada diariamente contra las mujeres, los niños y las personas LGBTIQ en sudáfrica. coro es una obra de duelo pero también de supervivencia y, sobre todo, de esperanza, ya que no podemos imaginar y tratar de hacer realidad un mundo de otra manera si no llevamos con nosotros a los que hemos perdido o a los que siguen sobreviviendo a un orden de violencia que esperamos –y debemos– transformar. y esta es una obra para todos nosotros. por supuesto, también soy muy consciente de las complejas relaciones de esta obra decolonial feminista con la crisis política y ética que ha provocado la reciente anulación de Roe vs. Wade y sus devastadoras implicaciones para tantas mujeres. en este contexto de dificultad, coro ofrece una importante oportunidad para relacionarse a través de la diferencia y creo que, para aquellos que se abran a ella, un espacio en el que llorar, sanar, imaginar y sí, esperar", dijo gabrielle goliath, artista. 

"la obra de gabrielle goliath confronta con fuerza una crisis internacional de violencia y da lugar al duelo como comunidad. coro traza un camino hacia la curación colectiva", dijo emily edwards, curadora adjunta del dallas contemporary.

más sobre gabrielle goliath

gabrielle goliath sitúa su práctica dentro de las historias, los mundos vitales y las condiciones actuales de la vida negra, morena, femenina y queer, rechazando su demarcación terminal dentro de un paradigma de violencia racial-sexual. las condiciones de esperanza que subrayan los encuentros sociales de su obra exigen lo que ella denomina un trabajo vital de duelo – o "imaginar y tratar de realizar el mundo de otra manera es llevar con nosotros a los que hemos perdido o a los que aún sobreviven a un orden de violencia que esperamos y debemos transformar". las instalaciones inmersivas de goliath se han expuesto en toda sudáfrica y a nivel internacional. entre las exposiciones más recientes se encuentran this song is for..., kunsthaus baselland, basilea; the normal, talbot rice gallery, edinburgo; this song is for..., konsthall c, estocolmo; our red sky, göteborgs konsthall, gotemburgo; y the power of my hands, musée d'art moderne, parís. ha ganado varios premios, entre ellos el future generation art prize/special prize (2019), el standard bank young artist award (2019) y el institut français, afrique en créations prize en la bienal de bamako (2017). su obra figura en numerosas colecciones públicas y privadas, como la kunsthalle zürich, TATE modern, iziko south african national gallery, johannesburg art gallery y wits art museum entre otras. 

gabrielle goliath related events + programming

upcomming:

tba

archive:

gabrielle goliath + deborah thomas in discussion, more info here.