Kentridge made the portfolio of prints, titled Little Morals, set in Johannesburg, South Africa's first industrial center, as he started work on his film animations for 9 Drawings for Projection (1989-2003). It chronicles the years leading up to the nation's first nonracial democratic election, in 1994. Individual prints allude to the exploitation of land and the displacement of communities and to key events of 1990 in South Africa, including the release of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison, the lifting of bans on political opposition organizations, and talks between the African National Congress and the government.
Gallery label from William Kentridge: Five Themes, February 24–May 17, 2010.