Creative Conversations: Christine Eyene on George Hallett (1942-2020)

Wednesday, November 11 | 12PM 

South African photographer George Hallett (1942-2020) is largely recognized for his documentary photographs of South Africa’s District Six Area during the apartheid era, his portraits of South African jazz musicians, and his explorations of - and contributions to - African literature through photography.

Born in Cape Town, Hallett began his career as an amateur photographer by following his love for jazz, photographing live performances by foundational musicians in South Africa. During the apartheid era Hallett followed exiled musicians, writers, and creatives to London, where he continued to document the people, places, and cultural happenings rooted in South African music and life. His collaborations and conversations with artists and authors serve as an example for artists whose interests are rooted in navigating diasporic influence on global social and cultural movements.

Presented by FotoFest in partnership with Autograph.

About the guests
Christine Eyene is an art historian, critic and curator. She is a Research Fellow in Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire where she works with artist and Professor of Contemporary Art Lubaina Himid on the Making Histories Visible project. She is also Artistic Director of the 5th Biennale Internationale de Casablanca (2021).

Her areas of research and curatorial practice encompass contemporary African and Diaspora arts, feminism, photography, and sound art. She is also interested in socially-engaged initiatives, urban culture, music, design, and new media. She is currently writing a dissertation on South African Photographer George Hallett (1942-2020) focusing on the interactions between his photography practice, South African jazz and African literature.

Eyene’s past exhibitions include: George Hallett: sound, text, image, BIC Project Space, Casablanca (2020); Sounds Like Her – Gender, Sound Art and Sonic Cultures, New Art Exchange (Nottingham) and UK touring (2017-2020); RESIST! The 1960s protests, photography and visual legacy (Summer of Photography), Bozar, Brussels (2018). Resonances: Second Movement (Printemps de Septembre), Espace Croix-Baragnon, Toulouse (2016); Murder Machine (EVA International), Ormston House, Limerick (2016); Curator’s Series #8: All Of Us Have a Sense Of Rhythm, David Roberts Art Foundation, London (2015); WHERE WE’RE AT: Other Voices on Gender (Summer of Photography), Bozar, Brussels (2014).