Creatives are challenging the way Africa is perceived and understood. For Joburg-based photographer and filmmaker, Kristin-Lee Moolman the “new” Africa lies separate from the stereotypes portrayed in local and international media.
Moolman was part of the Design Indaba Emerging Creatives programme in 2008.
While she gives insight into her life and her time in Joburg, Moolman’s work looks at sexuality, violence and black magic.
“[It’s] the idea of creating a fictional mythology or place based on the synthesis of political, personal and visual stimuli experienced while living in this particular place at this particular time,” explains Moolman. “Essentially the idea of a ‘new’ Africa existing in a separate reality where themes like sexuality, violence and black magic are prevalent - explored alongside concepts of security, segregation and the conflict between the constructed and the natural.”
Moolman says her journey began as a young delinquent in a small town in the Karoo, an undefined semi-desert region of South Africa.
...Then I found photography and somewhere to direct my energy.
She found her signature style and narrative while travelling in Africa. But, as Moolman explains, she came into her own once she settled down in Johannesburg. “My friends and collaborators here continue to influence and inspire me on a daily basis - as well as the contrasting nature of the city itself,” she adds.
As Moolman delves further into filmmaking, she holds fast to the belief that photography has the power to subvert and challenge the norm.
“I think it's because it can either be used to instantaneously capture a perceived reality or to completely fabricate one,” she adds.
See more of Moolman's work here.
