Ignatius Mokone

'To document is to educate' - Ignatius Mokone After studying journalism in London, South African artist Ignatius Mokone became drawn to the power of visual imagery, and changed his focus from writing to photography. He has since captured communities and creatives – particularly musicians – from South Africa and around the world. Mokone worked on Counting Headz: South Afrika’s Sistaz in Hip Hop, a documentary that told the stories of women in South African hip-hop culture. He directed the documentary Project Turmoil in 2019, which looks at the effects of gang violence in Cape Town. Rotting Treasures, a video piece which Mokone contributed to, featured in the City of Cape Town’s Infecting the City live theatre programme in 2014. In 2015, he had his first solo exhibition, A Love Affair with Life. His 2018 The Good Shepherd collection resulted from a journey through the mountains of the Eastern Cape in South Africa, where he turned his lens to shepherds and rural communities. Having been born in the city, this experience of rural life opened his eyes to the creativity, resilience and traditions of his own cultural roots. The relationship of the photographer and subject is symbiotic – he learns as much from his subjects as they do from him. Photo by photo, Mokone continues to immortalise the culture of South Africa, both traditional and contemporary