Where artwork meets function: VUT Postgraduate Photography Walkabout Exhibition 2025

“Discover the inspiring VUT Walkabout Exhibition 2025, where postgraduate photography students unveiled resilient visions of the Vaal region. Featuring Ruth Motau’s keynote and standout projects like “Waste on Land”, a triumph of ardour and perseverance.”

02 December 2025 | Story by: Tayron Mhlongo | Picture by: Keitumetse Mokgope

The environment brimmed with artistic power on 28 November 2025 because the postgraduate pictures college students from the Faculty of Human Sciences on the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) unveiled their much-anticipated Walkabout Exhibition. The showcase illuminated a 12 months of self-discipline, creativeness, and creative braveness from 5 devoted college students: Ms Mpho Matene, Mr Moeletsi Mabe, Ms Thakane Mofokeng, Ms Kutlwano Ramokopelwa, and Ms Princess Siko.

Despite a 12 months marked by trials, every scholar pressed by means of with resolve. Their portfolios stood as quiet declarations of perseverance. Associate Professor in Visual Arts and Design, Professor Anneke de Klerk, affirmed their journey with heat and candour: “It’s been a tough year, but I’m impressed with the level of commitment you all have shown.” She acknowledged the non-public and tutorial hurdles that formed their paths, celebrating how they turned problem into craft, and uncertainty into imaginative and prescient.

The exhibition was additional elevated by the presence of Ms Ruth Motau, the pioneering South African social documentary photographer famend as the primary black lady photograph editor at main publications such because the Mail & Guardian, Sowetan, and City Press. Her keynote handle was each a blessing and a name to braveness. Speaking particularly to ladies and younger photographers from township communities who are sometimes doubted for selecting a artistic path, she supplied a easy but highly effective affirmation: “It can be done.” She urged college students to anchor their work in function, asking, “What is your intention in photography, and within this project?” Her phrases lingered within the room lengthy after she spoke to them.

Among the standout works was “Waste on Land,” offered by Mr Moeletsi Mabe, a monochrome meditation on the Vaal area. His imagery revealed the area’s layered truths: the heart beat of neighborhood pleasure set towards the shadows of environmental neglect and social inequality. Through his lens, the Vaal turned each a mirror and a message.

The night unfolded with delight and tenderness as households, pals, and lecturers gathered across the college students, witnessing the end result of a demanding artistic pilgrimage. The numerous portfolios invited guests into worlds formed by reminiscence, spirituality, id, and social commentary. Each story stood full but woven into the collective spirit of the exhibition.

Reflecting on the second, Ms Mpho Matene shared, “This exhibition means so much to me. It felt like a moment where my work, my family’s spiritual journey, and my own growth finally came together in one space. Sharing such personal stories and seeing people connect with them so deeply was emotional and overwhelming in the best way.” She added, “Watching people engage with the images and the film made me feel proud, grounded, and grateful. It was more than presenting work; it felt like honouring my roots, my calling, and the generations before me.”

The 2025 Walkabout Exhibition stood not solely as a celebration of pictures, however as a testomony to braveness, intention, and the facility of seeing the world by means of one’s personal fact. It marked the start of latest artistic journeys for these gifted college students, whose futures now stretch large with chance.

Catch the complete expertise on Flickr