Notes

In April 2006, after a period documenting prisons in and around Cape Town, Mikhael Subotzky travelled to Beaufort West to work on a new project. His principal focus was this Karoo town’s prison, established in 1873 and located on a traffic circle in the town’s centre. Unlike his previous projects, however, which tightly focused on prisons, convicts and the effects of incarceration, Subotzky cast his photographic net wider. His ambition to produce a subtle portrait of a contained community was greatly influenced by David Goldblatt’s photobook In Boksburg (1982). Assisted by a local man, Major, Subotzky spent a year intermittently photographing in Beaufort West. His itinerary included the prison, but also private homes and public events – including this fancy dress competition where he encountered two costumed youths on horseback. Sixteen images from the project – including an edition of this lot – were premiered at Amsterdam’s Foam Fotografiemuseum in late 2007. A year later Subotzky published his first photobook, Beaufort West, with an introduction by writer Jonny Steinberg. “Almost every photograph carries a suggestion of theatre,” remarked Steinberg, singling out this photo as an example.

Jonny Steinberg (2008), ‘Afterword’ to Mikhael Subotzky, in Beaufort West. London, Chris Boot, page 75.

Exhibited

Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Mikhael Subotzky: Beaufort West, 22 March to 15 April, 2012, another example from the edition was exhibited. 

Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Beaufort West, 2007, October, another example from the edition was exhibited.

Studio La Citta, Verona, Beaufort West, 2007, December, another example from the edition was exhibited.

Foam, Amsterdam, Beaufort West, 2007, another example from the edition was exhibited.

Literature

Mikhael Subotzky and Jonny Steinberg (2008) Beaufort West, exhibition catalogue, London: Chris Boot, illustrated in colour on pages 16 and 17.