Reflections on architecture: See photographer Mpho Mokgadi’s Instagram takeover

This weekend, photographer Mpho Mokgadi took over our Instagram page to share remarkable architectural images. From Sicily in Italy to Barcelona and inner-city Johannesburg, he speaks about the cultural, economic and political significance the built environment has on the present and future.

Hi everyone! This is photographer Mpho Mokgadi, and I'll be taking over 10and5's Insta page this weekend with my architectural photographs. This photo was taken on my trip to Sicily, Italy in 2016, in the small city of Gibellina Nuova, which was rebuilt almost 20km from the old one – Gibellina, after a major earthquake destroyed it in the 1960s. The new city was designed by many of the most prominent artists and architects in Italy, but according to Wiki, "done in a piecemeal fashion so that the parts of the new city bear little relation to one another or to the indigenous architecture of Sicily". #photographymonth17 #MphoMokgadiTakeover (📸 @mphomokgadi)

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 21, 2017 at 7:29am PDT

#MphoMokgadiTakeover: This photo was also taken in the small city of Gibellina Nuova, Italy, 2016, which was rebuilt almost 20km from the old one – Gibellina, after a major earthquake destroyed it in the 1960s. The new city was designed by many of the most prominent artists and architects in Italy, but according to Wiki, "done in a piecemeal fashion so that the parts of the new city bear little relation to one another or to the indigenous architecture of Sicily". #photographymonth17

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 21, 2017 at 8:32am PDT

#MphoMokgadiTakeover: This photo was taken in a small city in Sicily, Italy, called Gibellina Nuova, rebuilt almost 20km from the old one – Gibellina, after a major earthquake destroyed it in the 1960s. The new city was designed by many of the most prominent artists and architects in Italy, but "done in a piecemeal fashion so that the parts of the new city bear little relation to one another or to the indigenous architecture of Sicily". #photographymonth17

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 21, 2017 at 10:26am PDT

#mphomokgaditakeover: 'In Situ' is my body of work about Johannesburg architecture, which reflects on the contemporary state of several key architectural structures in Johannesburg’s inner city. The body of work comprises views of some well-loved landmark structures and their stark interiors. The selctions intentionally places emphasis on the literal absence of the figurative. Several of these buildings, like dormant vaults, carry the names of the giant corporate entities that were directly responsible for or invested in their erection. Many of these were direct result of the architectural boom that occurred at the height of the Apartheid era’s economic prosperity, built on the very backs of those it sought to exclude. One cannot ignore the troubling legacy that these structures denote. – @mphomokgadi

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 22, 2017 at 2:28am PDT

#mphomokgaditakeover: This body of work – 'In Situ' – reflects on the contemporary state of several key architectural structures in Johannesburg’s inner city. And comprises views of some well-loved landmark structures and their stark interiors. The selctions intentionally places emphasis on the literal absence of the figurative. Several of these buildings, like dormant vaults, carry the names of the giant corporate entities that were directly responsible for or invested in their erection. Many of these were direct result of the architectural boom that occurred at the height of the Apartheid era’s economic prosperity, built on the very backs of those it sought to exclude. One cannot ignore the troubling legacy that these structures denote. – @mphomokgadi #photographymonth17

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 22, 2017 at 3:52am PDT

#mphomokgaditakeover: 'In Situ' – my body of work on Johannesburg architecture – reflects on the contemporary state of several key architectural structures in Johannesburg’s inner city. It comprises views of some well-loved landmark structures and their stark interiors. The selctions intentionally places emphasis on the literal absence of the figurative. Several of these buildings, like dormant vaults, carry the names of the giant corporate entities that were directly responsible for or invested in their erection. Many of these were direct result of the architectural boom that occurred at the height of the Apartheid era’s economic prosperity, built on the very backs of those it sought to exclude. One cannot ignore the troubling legacy that these structures denote. – @mphomokgadi

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 22, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

#mphomokgaditakeover: This is a photo from my recent trip to Barcelona. #photographymonth17

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 23, 2017 at 5:55am PDT

#mphomokgaditakeover: Barcelona, 2017. #architecturalphotography

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 23, 2017 at 6:42am PDT

#mphomokgaditakeover: Barcelona, 2017. #photographymonth17 #architecturalphotography

A post shared by Between 10 and 5 (@10and5) on Jul 23, 2017 at 8:06am PDT

Follow Mpho on Instagram and Tumblr.

Check out more of Photography Month.