Tracey Rose
The Kiss (2001)
This photograph was taken at the Iziko South African National Gallery. It portrays two nude figures locked in an embrace, moments away from an intimate kiss. Its title and composition refer to French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s marble sculpture, created in 1882. Originally considered an erotic symbol and a depiction of lustful sensuality, Rodin’s sculpture challenged the religious conservative Western sensibilities of his time. Through black and white photography, Rose restaged the sculpture’s pose with a critical lens. Using her own body as a model, she reclines on the lap of a man sitting on a plinth, creating a stark visual contrast between the darkness and lightness of their skin tones.
Their racial and gender identity is highlighted as both figures represent a complex position within South Africa’s historical and socio-political landscape. The artist examines contemporary social issues related to transnational, interracial dynamics and relationships that are still considered taboo: Rose is a woman of German and Khoi mixed-race heritage who appears white in the photograph, while the man is Christian Haye, an African-American gallerist. Racial tensions, suggested by the underlying power relations of the couple, are disrupted by the mutual joy evident in their facial expressions.
Created a year after the advent of the new millennium, the photograph symbolizes the peaceful and euphoric aftermath of the country’s transition to democracy. Rose suggests a radical rethinking of the Western canon of art history and the centering of diverse, inclusive depictions of love and acceptance across racial inequality and sexual difference.