Fifty years on, South Africa is still one of the leading countries in solid-organ transplants. Despite being a leader, transplant centres in South Africa are horribly clustered. There are 18 transplant centres located in only four of the nine provinces. This month a contemporary art exhibition, Situation, reflected on 50 years of kidney transplants. Situation invoked a conversation between art and the South African context of organ transplants.
The exhibition is set in the socio-political context of South Africa that is informed by our past which continues to influence the disparity in accessing treatment. Historically, wealth distribution in South Africa has been along racial lines; an issue still to be rectified. According to Vuya Africa a kidney transplant can cost about R2.8 million. This is a cost that the majority of South Africans cannot afford for what is one of the most vital organs. This statistic becomes worse when reading Life Healthcare’s 2015 media release which revealed that kidney failure is four times higher in the black population.
The exhibition took place at The Point of Order inBraamfontein from November 3-12. Situation was commissioned by the University of Witswaterstrand’s (Wits) Donald Gordon medical centre in collaboration with the Wits Institute for Social Economic Research and the Wits School of Arts.
Situation sought to highlight the complexities surrounding transplants. Requiring an organ transplant is more than being placed in an unavoidable position. The exhibition brought to light the ethical issues and the relationship that exists between transplants and cultural/religious practices. The audience was encouraged to critically explore the varying ideas of personhood, spirituality and the social context within the exhibition’s theme.
When walking past The Point of Order, you are immediately drawn in by the image of a young man’s lifeless body being washed and wrapped. Igshaan Adam’s Bismillah is a performance piece in which his father, Amien Adams follows the Islamic ritual in preparing Igshaan’s body to be buried. According to Islam, the body must be cleansed (“Ghusl”) and then shrouded (“Kafan”). Once this is done, the body is then covered with a white sheet.
The performance piece makes quite the statement as the audience watches Igshaan preparing for death while being alive. This is much like what a patient in need of a transplant will do since there is no guarantee that you will get the organ you need in time. The video was accompanied by a series of pictures. The pictures captured and froze moments of the Islamic burial ritual highlighting certain colours and particular parts of the body.
This artwork not only touched on the process that a patient may go through but also the relationship between organ transplants and religious beliefs. According to an article on Everplans, in general organ donation is acceptable in the Muslim faith. This is acceptance is based on a teaching in the Qur’an: “Whosoever saves the life of one person it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind.”
Situation consisted of a variety of different artworks. Each artwork series was done in a different medium. Kyra Pape’s installation series was one of the most original in terms of the materials used to render kidney-like sculptures. Pape used building foam and melted sugar to create amorphous objects. The sculptures never remained the same throughout the exhibition as they would drip and decay; constantly changing in shape.
This process illustrated the dynamic nature of our physicality. It also depicted the sense of bodily discomfort with one’s self after having an organ transplant, the feeling of something foreign that is not you but is inside your body. The installation was accompanied by a series of prints in which the sculptures had been pressed onto paper. The prints proved to be an interesting addition to the installation. Through the print series the audience began to engage with the inside of the body as people started to see other organs such as the heart and lungs.
Other works were also on display but it was Adams and Pape that stood out from the rest. Overall Situation was well planned. The layout of Situation was unique. The curators had extended the space of the exhibition by creating a chalk wall on the outside of the building so that people passing by could engage. Although there was not a big response from the general public, there were some interesting comments such as “When your organ becomes a national resource.”
Through the sensorial experience of art, Situation brought forth a meaningful and necessary conversation. The viewer left the exhibition questioning why it is that the accessibility of vital organs necessary for survival is a luxury for only some South Africans in 2016.
