Print by Peter Clarke on the occasion of the Iniva exhibition ‘Wind Blowing on the Cape Flats’.

One of the most accomplished and versatile visual South African artists, Peter Clarke was born in 1929. In his early twenties he declared that he would make his living as an artist, which was a highly unusual ambition for a young black South African at the time. Over the last sixty years, Clarke has reflected on his country’s social and political history and is often referred to as the ‘quiet chronicler’. His work constitutes a subtle critique of apartheid and its social consequences as well as more recently, aspects of the ‘new’ South Africa.

The exhibition Wind Blowing on the Cape Flats honours Clarke’s life, work and contribution to art over sixty years and tells the story of an artist who is part of a lost generation, a voice that has been largely unheard in Europe.

This print, a four-colour lithograph, is after an original hand-coloured linocut from the artist’s personal collection. It depicts an outstretched single hand, reaching towards a dove, suggesting a yearning for peace or solidarity. The work is a homage to the American poet and social activist Langston Hughes who was recognised for his contribution to the ‘Harlem Renaissance’ and was an important influence on the artist.