Ernest Cole’s balance between bondage and beauty

Few South Africans have heard of the exiled photographer, but a new book and film will put that right

04 May 2025 - 00:00 By Mandla Nkomfe

Art follows two main paths. The first path is that of art for art’s sake. This perspective insists that art should be consumed and experienced for its intrinsic aesthetic value, suggesting that any meaning beyond the object’s beauty is irrelevant. On the other side of the pendulum lies the second path, which views art as narrow, partisan, or political propaganda designed to serve the interests of a specific group...

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