All Shall Be Afforded Dignity, an exhibition of artwork by South African Artist Norman Kaplan
The exhibition: a global theme
The exhibition ‘All Shall Be Afforded Dignity’ celebrates 30 years of democracy in South Africa and offers a chance to reflect on the enduring question of ‘dignity for all’ in South Africa and beyond. People across the world, and particularly people in or from the global South, continue to be impacted by the denial of inherent rights, long recognised by signatories to the United Nations charter, established 75 years ago. Too often we see such rights ignored.
‘All Shall Be Afforded Dignity’ is organised around the work (of the same name which features in the exhibition) that artist Norman Kaplan made in 1996 in response to a call for art to respond to the ‘home’ of the Constitution of newly democratic South Africa. His linocut, All Shall Be Afforded Dignity, was awarded the honour of being engraved and permanently displayed in the South African Constitutional Court.
The exhibition brings together works from two strands of Kaplan’s artistry (linocuts and political cartoons), speaking to the power of collaboration, solidarity, and art as a tool of struggle to create awareness and change, paving the way for widespread acceptance and understanding of the value of human rights and implementation of change towards true freedom and equality for all.
On display in the Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields (St Martin’s Lane, Trafalgar Square, London) from 22nd April to 6th May 2024.
Closed to the public 25th and 28th April.
Admission Free. 11am to 5pm (7pm on 6th May).
The exhibition will travel around the UK during 2024. Dates and venues will be added to our website as it travels, with new event listings for each exhibition.
View the online catalogue here: https://antiapartheidlegacy.org.uk/resources/exhibitions/asbad/
All Shall Be Afforded Dignity – commemorating 30 years of South Africa’s freedom
Convened by Action for Southern Africa and Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning; with the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives and ACTSA Scotland, in partnership with the South African High Commission to the UK & Northern Ireland.
“All shall be afforded dignity” is our theme for the year. It is both commemorative and a call to action for the future, since there is much work still to be done to realise the South Africa we all want, according to the provisions in the South African Constitution.
Our aim is to draw on the spirit of the 1994 election year, where hope with action were the key ingredients to achieving a new dawn for South Africa and for the world.
More information about the 30 years anniversary commemorative programme here
