âThe image as burdenâ is the name of Marlene Dumasâs current exhibition at Tate Modern. In how far an image can represent a burden becomes clear when considering the background of the artist. Marlene Dumas was born in 1953 in South Africa, at a time when some of the most significant apartheid segregation laws were being passed by the ruling regime. Not surprisingly, images of Nelson Mandela were banned, when he was imprisoned in 1964 and furthermore, television was not introduced until 1976. These two facts alone, already give us an idea of the potential power that images can have. But when power is involved, the use of it is also associated with responsibility. This, however, can represent a certain degree of burden.
Against this background, the severity of the artworks becomes understandable, since, despite all the aesthetics of them, Dumas uses her power to put contextual focus on the depths of psyche and society. Thereby, her artworks are highly emotionally charged and very thought-provocative. In the case of scenes of war and suppression, death, solitude and exclusion or even the downsides of stardom, Dumas compels us to feel like being a part of all that for a moment. It is like observing âThe Scream of Munchâ. You immediately feel touched, scared and paralyzed. Ultimately, you might even want to change these negative feelings through action. This is what the potential power of images is all about. This is how a burden can be turned into something quite the opposite.
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#gallery-0-3-slideshow .slideshow-slide img { max-height: 410px; /* Emulate max-height in IE 6 */ _height: expression(this.scrollHeight >= 410 ? '410px' : 'auto'); } Marlene Dumas: The Image as Burden, at Tate Modern âThe image as burdenâ is the name of Marlene Dumasâs current exhibition at Tate Modern. In how far an image can represent a burden becomes clear when considering the background of the artist.