silver gelatin print on fibre-based paper

Artwork date: 1975, printed in 2011
Signature details: signed and dated on the reverse
Edition: number 4 from an edition of 8
Exhibited: Examples of the edition were exhibited in:
Goodman Gallery, London, ‘David Goldbatt: Johannesburg 1948 – 2018’, 9 July to 25 August 2020.
Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, ‘The Pursuit of Values: David Goldblatt’, 22 October to 5 December 2015.
New Museum, New York, ‘Intersection Intersected: The Photography of David Goldblatt’, 15 July to 11 October 2009.
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, ‘Joburg’, 26 April to 24 May 2008.
Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, ‘Disguise: The Art of Attracting and Deflecting Attention’, 15 May to 5 July 2008.
‘David Goldblatt: Fifty-One Years’, The Museum Africa, Johannesburg (1 August 2004 to 30 November 2004); Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Brussels (17 April to 15 June 2003); Lenbachhaus, Munich, ‘David Goldblatt: Fifty-One Years’, (5 July to 12 October 2003); Museum of Modern Art, Oxford (1 February to 30 March 2003); Centro Cultural de Belem, Lisboa (7 October 2002 to 5 January 2003); Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Barcelona (8 February to 14 April 2002); AXA Gallery, New York (15 August to 16 October 2001).
Literature: Examples of the photograph are illustrated in:
Goldblatt, D. (2015). ‘The Pursuit of Values: David Goldblatt’. Johannesburg: Standard Bank of South Africa, illustrated on p.89.
Goldblatt, D. (2011). ‘TJ – Johannesburg 1948 – 2010’. Cape Town: Umuzi, illustrated on the front cover.
‘Disguise: The Art of Attracting and Deflecting Attention’. (2008). [Exhibition catalogue]. Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, illustrated on p. 81.
Goldblatt, D. (2001). ‘David Goldblatt: Fifty-One Years’. Barcelona: Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, illustrated on p.179.

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image size: 39.5 x 39.5 cm; framed size: 58.5 x 58 x 3 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Rhodes Village, Eastern Cape.

Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

She told him: 'You'll be the driver and I'll be the lady', then they grabbed the car bumper and posed, Hillbrow, 1975 captures a candid moment of playful role-play in the streets of Johannesburg. The image, part of Goldblatt’s seminal book TJ: Johannesburg Photographs 1948-2010, offers a window into the everyday lives of South Africans during apartheid, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the era. Goldblatt’s images are not just snapshots of a troubled nation; they are a meticulous examination of the human condition under oppressive systems ­– a photographer who, in a world dominated by black and white, lived and shot in the grey.

In the photograph, a young woman and a man engage in an impromptu game, where she declares him the driver and herself the lady. With bewildered gazes directly at Goldblatt’s camera, they grasp the bumper of a car, their postures mimicking the roles they’ve chosen.

David Goldblatt wasn’t compelled by the spectacle of riots, police brutality, or political rallies. Instead, he turned his lens toward the countless, quiet wounds inflicted daily by oppressive legislation, and the subtle ways they impacted the lives of ordinary South Africans. His work offers an intimate and subtle portrait of apartheid, one that avoids the sensational in favor of the quietly profound.

This photograph is emblematic of Goldblatt’s approach. His complex and humane eye, which slowly worked empathy into the grain of his pictures, is evident. His ability to capture the quiet and commonplace ­– where nothing ‘happened’ and yet all was contained and immanent – is what makes his work so powerful. This photograph, with its blend of spontaneity and deeper social commentary, is a testament to Goldblatt’s nuanced understanding of the human condition. It speaks of the subtle ways apartheid shaped daily life, and how even in play, the roles and divisions of society were deeply felt.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE:

An example from the edition forms part of the permanent collection of the Musée d'arts de Nantes, Nantes.

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; University of South Africa, Pretoria; Constitutional Court, Johannesburg; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Photographers' Gallery, London and Museum of Modern Art, New York.