Ernest Cole, [no title] 1965–6. Tate. © Ernest Cole / Magnum Photos.
South African photographer Ernest Cole’s images document life for Black people during apartheid. Cole’s photographs are displayed alongside his photobook, House of Bondage
Born in South Africa in 1940, Cole was a self-taught photographer. He began his career at Drum magazine in 1958, before becoming a freelance photojournalist. His work primarily focuses on the lives of the Black community. Cole was working and living under apartheid in South Africa. This system of institutionalised racial segregation, underpinned by White minority rule, began in 1948. Anyone who was not classified as White was actively oppressed by the regime.
During apartheid, South African law divided its citizens into four racial groups: Black, White, Coloured and Indian. Officials used a variety of racist tests to classify people into groups. One of these was the pencil test, in which a pencil was pushed into an individual’s hair. If the pencil fell out, signalling that their hair was straight rather than curly, kinky or coily, the person was ‘classified’ as White. To pursue his work, Cole tricked the Race Classification Board. He straightened his hair and changed his name from Kole to Cole, in order to be classified as Coloured rather than Black. This allowed him to photograph the
experiences of Black people and travel more freely, but he was still at risk of arrest. He fled South Africa in 1966, taking many of his photographs and negatives with him.
As most of Cole’s photographs were used for press purposes, or taken for House of Bondage, he is not known to have used titles. Some of the works here featured in Cole’s photobook and are displayed with his descriptive captions. House of Bondage was first published in New York in 1967. Drawing attention to apartheid worldwide, the book was banned in South Africa. It continues to be a powerful visual testimony and archive of the stories and memories of the Black South African population during apartheid.
Xiyadie, Fun 2017
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, Train 1985–6
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, Fun 2001
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, Gate (Tiananmen) 2020
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, Fish on a Chopping Board c.2001
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, ‘No Worries, My Mother Is Next Door’ 2017
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, Fun 2001
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Xiyadie, Flying 2000
This one of a group of paper works in Tate’s collection by the Chinese artist Xiyadie. The works come from two separate series of works which subvert in different ways the traditional and intricate art of papercutting, recognised in China as an ancient folk art that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Three works from 2020 (Gate (Tiananmen), Fish on a Chopping Board and Train, Tate T15927–T15929) are large-scale papercuts from white ‘xuanzhi’ (宣纸), a type of paper which is also used for traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink-wash painting due to its resilient yet absorbent qualities. Once cut, each of these works is hand-painted with food colouring more commonly used for identifying the fillings of steamed ‘bao’ buns, a humble snack often sold at street food stalls throughout China. Though each of these works represents figurative subjects, they are highly stylised according to the parameters of cutting folded paper: an intricate skill which has generically been described as a ‘matriarchs’ art’ due to the way in which it has traditionally been passed down through generations of women within the domestic sphere.
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artworks in Ernest Cole
Art in this room
Xiyadie
Fun
2017
Xiyadie
Train
1985–6
Xiyadie
Fun
2001
Xiyadie
Gate (Tiananmen)
2020
Xiyadie
Fish on a Chopping Board
c.2001
Xiyadie
‘No Worries, My Mother Is Next Door’
2017
Xiyadie
Fun
2001
Xiyadie
Flying
2000