Gallery walls are a canvas on which artists tell their stories, and the Goodman Gallery has provided this space to artists for 50 years.The gallery also regards itself as a champion of freedom of expression - a notable moment in the gallery's history was the infamous work The Spear by Brett Murray, depicting President Jacob Zuma painted in a pose reminiscent of a poster of Vladimir Lenin, with his genitals exposed.From June to July the gallery will celebrate five decades of art by featuring the works of some of the most esteemed artists to have graced its walls - William Kentridge, Tracey Rose, David Goldblatt and David Koloane, to name but a few - in a series of exhibitions titled New Revolutions.The 2016 anniversary will look at "collections of artwork from the 1960s to the present and will focus on the spirit of protest, resistance and revolution in which the gallery has offered a platform to explore such approaches", said owner and director of the gallery Liza Essers."From old to new artists, New Revolutions will pay homage to the artists who have shaped the landscape of contemporary art in Southern Africa," she said.We spoke to two very different artists who seem to capture the spirit of the exhibition.The work of Koloane, born in Alexandra, in Johannesburg, explores and questions political injustices and human rights.Said Koloane: "Affected by the apartheid environment and trying to make contemporary art as blacks, we have to think differently."There's still a lack of trust between black and white people."Our art is more visual; we show our reality through art. I grew up during the apartheid era and as a youngster would draw on paper thinking it was just a hobby, not knowing it was a way of making my voice heard."Koloane's work has been exhibited in the US, Germany, Spain, Britain and all over Africa.He believes that, through art, black people can overcome the despair they feel because of South Africa's history - "We should do things ourselves," he says.Jabulani Dhlamini, 32, is still trying to find his identity in today's South Africa.He says it's difficult for him to describe his work because he's still looking at our history to find inspiration.Titled Recapturing, his latest work is a photo exhibition that tells the story of the Sharpeville massacre through the survivors."The work began when I took a walk to Sharpeville as part of an assignment while I was doing my final year at the Vaal University of Technology," he said."I discovered that a lot of the families of the survivors of the shooting had old objects like blankets and photographs which they'd inherited from those who died during the Sharpeville massacre," he said.As a young South African, Dhlamini believes that exploring topics through art is therapeutic and gives him an understanding of the state of our country today.''My work is contemporary but also explores the history that made me what I am today," he said.New Revolutions will run at the Goodman Gallery in both Johannesburg and Cape Town until July 6..