Mads Norgaard's first solo exhibition at the newly opened Godden Gallery in Cape Town gave us a glimpse into parts of the public transportation system and city fringes that we don’t often see. The photographer's eye allows us to see into worlds that we miss as we bustle and jostle in our urban environments.
Over a period of seven years, Norgaard captured the range of human experiences that make up this unique city. Focusing on sites of the public transportation system and illegally occupied dwellings around the greater Cape town, Norgaard puts a human face to the chaotic crowds that are such an integral part of our urban world. He shows us the intimate moments that are not often associated with these spaces.
The effect of the Apartheid regime’s policies on land distribution such as the forced removals of District 6 and the Group Areas Act No 41 of 1950 are still experienced by a majority of the population in a deeply segregated Cape Town. These city spaces still remain largely segregated along the lines of race and class.
In between the concentration camp like temporary dwellings and unfinished housing projects in the Cape Flats, Norgaard finds moments of joy and love, but he never shies away from the harsh realities that form our metropolis.
The exhibition will run until 15 July at the Godden Gallery, Cape Town.
