Two definite videos to talk about are currently making their rounds online. Die Antwoord just dropped ‘Pitbull Terrier’ (Emir Kusturica’s awesomely fun movie Black Cat, White Cat springs to mind immediately) and female rapper M.I.A. & The Partysquad released ‘Double Bubble Trouble’ on 19 May 2014 — maybe along a similar shit-stirring vein as the Zef rappers’ provocative style…

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While Die Antwoord show us the the dirty world of cat and dog fights, M.I.A. alerts us to more specific issues when her self-directed video confronts us with challenging imagery such as flying neon-coloured drones, 3D-printed guns, burqas with a white-girl-smile print on them, kids posing for selfies as well as (less significant?) pitbulls and leopards. It was banned for a short while due to copyright reasons since its release two days ago but live again now, and viewers are fervently giving their two cents in Youtube’s comment section. Is M.I.A. a talented artist drawing attention to important issues? Or is she, as one of the comments states below, “siphoning off the culture of poor people”? What do you think? Here are some of the comments people left below the video on Youtube, you can click here for more. Feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below or tweeting us at @onesmallseedSA.

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thejakesh:

Based on the comments, I’m inclined to revise my earlier stated view to acknowledge that perhaps there’s more to this aesthetic than I’m aware of. Still not much of an MIA fan, especially her vampire-ish siphoning off and disposable use of imagery and culture from poor people and middle eastern and west asian people to give authenticity to her niche capitalist music commodities.

50ftQueenie89:

Ah yes cool but don’t forget that she grew up as a refugee in London and actually LIVED the culture you say she is “siphoning” off. Nothing vampirish about it, they are all part of her heritage and legitimate influences that inform her art. And all art is “commodity” whether you like it or not. Her engagement with hip-hop, music, fashion and politics is at least presenting a transparent vision of capitalist culture rather than asking people to be completely deluded by it. Being completely pejorative about entertainment and art isn’t going to get you anywhere, dude. The system swallows everyone up. Good talk. Hail Anarchy.

ASouthernWriter (JJTV):

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my favorite song from the album! M.I.A. has been keeping it REAL since the beginning. Got MAD respect for her as an artist as well as her raising awareness of REAL issues going on in the world! #1984IsNOW

Anthony Dabor:

i know, i felt the same that she could of kept it as a reggae track. seems nowadays when you hear the intro of a song, starts off so well, you think wow, awesome then it starts to go wrong towards the middle and falls apart. great tune though!

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The second solo exhibition of Roger Ballen, including stills from the ‘I Fink U Freeky’ music video he directed and work from the Shadow Chamber series, which inspired Ninja and Yo-landi to launch Die Antwoord, opened on September 18th.

image: david plenderleith

It seems New York-born photographer Roger Ballen always had an interest in outcasts. This is most famously proven by a photograph of the mentally and physically disabled twins Dresi and Casie. He is also known to build up an intimate relationship with his subjects. Given his background and style, it seems that there was no option but to collaborate with Die Antwoord, who he has known for seven or eight years.

image: killingbirdswithstones.com

Although Ballen says he didn’t listen to ‘I Fink U Freeky’ beforehand, the Zef duo’s provocative nature is perfectly reproduced through his lens. “It is what’s out there,” the renowned photographer emphasises at the opening of the exhibition.

Created as an artistic documentation of what exists as opposed to achieving a specific audience response, some stills stand out more than others. One image, for example, shows Yo-landi in a bath caressing a duck beneath a drawing of naked mixed-sex humanistic animals. The picture exemplifies how individual themes can be read into the still allowing it to confidently stand alone.

image: burnmagazine.org

A hint to the animal in us, perhaps? Nonetheless, its composition shows that there can be beauty in the obscure regardless of artistic intention. The exhibition at Erdmann Contemporary & The Photographer’s Gallery runs until 27 October and prints go for $5000 – $6000.

In issue 22 we interviewed Roger Ballen see the article here.

In November 2010, one small seed TV also met up with the Photographer for an enlightening one-on-one, watch the interview here.

Words: Christine Hogg

Images: David Plenderleith, killingbirdswithstones.com, burnmagazine.org