In Nadir Ractliffe has combined photographs of aggressive dogs (signs of violence and savage police control) with images of squatter camps, forced removals, relocation settlements, and garbage dumps to communicate the widespread fear and anger caused by the states of emergency imposed by the apartheid government in its desperation to maintain control of South Africa in its final years. The artist has described Nadir as "a way to image this world gone mad, without simply reiterating the discourse of resistance." She combined photocopies, sketches, and collage to arrive at final compositions, which she then printed using layers of photolithography, varnish, and screenprint.
Gallery label from Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now, March 23–August 14, 2011.
