Born in 1993, Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo is a photographer based in Johannesburg. His images investigate themes of trauma, violence and memory, and he was mentored by the photographer Jabulani Dhlamini and the curator John Fleetwood. We featured Thembinkosi’s project “Slaghuis,” which was inspired by the sometimes sad and violent things he witnessed in the tavern his parents ran during his childhood. Thembinkosi won the 2019 CAP Prize for Contemporary African Photography, and has been exhibited globally.
“If you retell your traumatic story enough, it can reach a point where it’s almost no longer yours. It becomes lighter. It’s about recounting your trauma until you have this awareness that sets you free.”
Stories with Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo