Curated by Naoya Yoshikawa (Osaka University of Arts, Japan), Ashley Walters (Stellenbosch University), and Dr. Waldemar Bussiahn (Cape Peninsula University of Technology), this exhibition forms part of the Cape Town Photography Festival and is presented across two venues.

GUS Gallery presents this exhibition, which brings together a selection of works by students from Osaka University of Arts and Stellenbosch University.

The works on view explore identity, heritage, and contemporary image-making through two distinct approaches. Some reflect on cultural memory and family lineage, using black-and-white analogue photography combined with natural light to produce portraits that weave together histories, traditions, and evolving cultural practices. Others employ tableau photography, constructing staged and meticulously composed scenes that blur the line between fiction and reality. Through allegory, symbolism, and performance, these works engage with social critique and reimagine contemporary South African realities.

Reflecting on his selection, Naoya Yoshikawa notes: “Japanese students, like those in other countries, are children of a generation strongly influenced by Western culture; as such, my selection for this exchange project reveals a mixture of traditional Japanese and modern culture.”

Together, these exhibitions highlight how portraiture, imagined narratives, and storytelling can affirm questions and reshape the identities we inherit and the ones we construct.