House of Bondage Vintage Works From the Ernest Cole Family Trust (Part One)
Part one of a three-part exhibition in London, Paris and Johannesburg is now on view at Goodman Gallery in London, presenting rare, vintage prints by Cole
From November 14 to January 25, an exhibition of rare vintage prints from Ernest Cole’s House of Bondage is on view at Goodman Gallery in London. It is the first part of a three-part exhibition, hosted across London, Paris and Johannesburg, organized in collaboration with Magnum Gallery Paris and the Ernest Cole Family Trust.
“Lost to the family for many years, they offer a new insight into Ernest’s seminal practice as South Africa’s premier anti-Apartheid photographer, and we hope that their inclusion in these shows will provide a new understanding of his work and legacy,” writes Leslie Matlaisane of the Ernest Cole Family Trust.
Published in 1967, Cole’s book House of Bondage, exposed the horror of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. Divided into 14 chapters, the book revealed the systemic violence, oppression, and pain for the Black majority across all walks of life — from education, to work in the mines, travel, healthcare, and banishment camps.
In the video below, Mark Sealy, author of Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Time and Director at Autograph ABP London, discusses two key chapters from House of Bondage, The Mines, and the previously unpublished Black Ingenuity. Click to play.
Video by Alisdair Kitchen, Goodman Gallery.
Vintage prints from both chapters feature heavily in the three-part exhibition between Goodman Gallery, Magnum Gallery and the Ernest Cole Family Trust over the coming months.
Visit “Ernest Cole: House of Bondage: Vintage Works From the Ernest Cole Family Trust (Part One)” at Goodman Gallery, London until January 25. Plan your visit here.
