The Weight of Water (Hammanskraal 2023)
My work documents residents of Mandela Village, Hammanskraal, collecting water from a communal water tanker, a scene that speaks to years of unreliable supply, outbreaks of disease, and exploitative practices that turn water into a commodity. I want to make visible the fragile intersection between human survival and the environment. The transparency allows viewers to see through the image into the surrounding landscape, reminding us that water scarcity is never an isolated issue but one embedded in soil, ecology, and politics. Although my work is rooted in photojournalism, it anchors abstract ecological and philosophical concerns in lived realities, showing how global crises manifest in daily life. By bringing documentary evidence into dialogue with artistic research, the work highlights that soil and water are not only material concerns but also profoundly human, pressing us to imagine both responsibility and change.
Alet Pretorius (ZA)
Alet Pretorius is a Pretoria-based photojournalist, visual artist, and lecturer with more than 23 years of experience in news, education, and the arts. Her work explores the coexistence of multiple narratives within a single frame, drawing on the tension between documentation and art. Inspired by photographers like Santu Mofokeng, David Goldblatt, and Lindokuhle Sobekwa, she is interested in how images reveal both the seen and the unseen, what is framed, what is omitted, and what is implied. Known for her calm, people-focused approach, she has covered breaking news and documentary projects across South Africa and the continent, including Somalia, the DRC, and Nelson Mandela’s passing. A former Picture Editor at Beeld, she now freelances for Reuters and Gallo Images, while lecturing at the University of Pretoria, Market Photo Workshop, and Boston Media House. Her work spans photojournalism, multimedia, and visual art, with exhibitions at the Javett Art Centre, Trent Gallery, and residencies at the Ampersand and NIROX Foundations.