Along the bustling main road of Woodstock, a park is perched, almost too close to the erratic energy of minibus taxis, speeding cars, and a myriad of people making their way to and from the city. A fantastical painted dreamscape becomes the backdrop to a simple lawn and some oddly placed palm trees. Like an apparition of a former Cape Colony, the mural embodies a fallacy of what Cape Town has painted itself to be: an idealistic beautiful place.
Originally shot for Vogue Italia with the theme ‘Reframing History’ Rudo, 10, and Kupa, 12, invited for an afternoon of dress-up. A reverie of childlike imagination unfolds to the setting sun – Running into the light – with accents of picked flowers and silk ribbon adorning the siblings. Resolute in their gaze, Petersen’s lens captures a narrative of selfhood and confidence embodied in each moment of unapologetic black love – Us. There is a sense of innocence in each prideful gesture, perhaps only possible due to the trusted presence of each other.
I’m re-membering my relationship with my sister in, A Hopeful Love, a story about siblings and their inseparable bond captured in a dreamscape setting.
A Hopeful Love, published by NATAAL , exhibited at the V&A Museum London and the group show “Open Plot” at THK Gallery.