Güney Afrika Ulusal Sanat Galerisi’nin Sosyal Değişimdeki Rolü - “Beyaz Küp”ün Değişimi

Abstract

This article traces the South African National Gallery’s (SANG) journey through social transformation in South Africa. As South Africa transformed from pre-colonization, colonization and apartheid, to a post-apartheid state, this state art museum itself transformed, sometimes parallel to these changes, sometimes earlier. The museum was established as a colonial structure, but went through a process of transformation. As a national museum, it represented the state by default. Through several processes and curatorial championship such as Heritage Day, inheriting artwork from the Ethnographic Museum, and various socially-engaged projects, inclusion of black South African curators, the museum managed to transform itself into a more democratic institution. This is significant when studying museology, social transformations, postcoloniality, ideas of a white-wall white cube art museum, “primitive” art, and other fields as it touches upon and affects each of them and shows how these concepts can be better understood by studying their relation to one another, especially in the context of South Africa.