Oteng Keabetswe VC

2.The Judges
Acrylics on canvas
80x70cm
2026

This artwork is based on my experience of the March and March movement, which called for action against undocumented immigrants in South Africa. The protest became increasingly hostile, closure of foreign owned shops, violence, and clashes . We could argue that much of the anger was directed at Black foreigners,creating deeper divisions between people living alongside one another.

Before the June 30 deadline for illegal immigrants set by the campaigners,I had to also leave the country, even though I was there legally. I did not feel safe. What made the situation even more unsettling was that some South Africans I interacted with also said they did not feel safe and chose to remain indoors. This revealed how widely fear had spread.

I call this work The Judges because I see the people behind the movement as deciding who belongs and who does not. They became judges of other peoples right to stay, work, trade, feel safe, and even beyond that.

This work also relates to the first painting in this series,The Courtesy Offer. The Courtesy Offer presents belonging as something offered conditionally while The Judges exposes the authority behind that offer and the consequences of placing one persons safety and future in the hands of others

Im interested in what happens when ordinary people believe they have the authority to decide the fate of others and when belonging becomes something that must be applied for,negotiated, or granted as a courtesy.