Fire Walker – William Kentridge And Gerhard Marx

Description

In 2009, renowned South African artists William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx were commissioned to create a public sculpture for the City of Johannesburg, set to be unveiled in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The resulting sculpture, Fire Walker, draws inspiration from Kentridge’s drawing of a street vendor, colloquially known as a “fire walker,” carrying a burning brazier on her head. Standing at an impressive eleven metres tall, the sculpture is located at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, in a spot that once served as a bustling hub for informal traders and taxi washers, close to the Metro Mall and Taxi Rank.

This unique work of art deviates from traditional monumental public sculptures, which often glorify grand public figures. Instead, Kentridge and Marx designed Fire Walker using steel plates, resulting in a figure that resolves into a cohesive image from a single vantage point. To a pedestrian passing by, the sculpture only offers a brief glimpse of the woman before it fragments into its constituent black-and-white parts, symbolising the transient nature of everyday urban life.

With insightful essays by Mark Gevisser, Mpho Matsipa, Alexandra Dodd, Jonathan Cane, and Zen Marie, and photographs by John Hodgkiss, Ben Law-Viljoen, and Alastair McLachlan, this book delves into the deeper meaning of Fire Walker. It highlights the resilience of ordinary citizens who navigate the complexities of urban spaces, reflecting the survival instincts of those who work tirelessly in contested terrains to make a living.