Souls Interlude is a new exhibition by creative director and researcher Lukhanyo Mdingi, opening in Cape Town this December. The project looks at the long history of South African jazz, with a focus on the 1960s and 70s, a period shaped by artistic experimentation, political pressure, and Black Consciousness.
Mdingi draws from the archival work of Ian Bruce Huntley, whose photographs from the early 60s were published in Keeping Time. Huntley’s images capture musicians working under apartheid, revealing both the tension of the era and the sense of solidarity that formed around jazz. The exhibition uses these archives as an entry point, bringing together photography, sound, percussion, and historic objects linked to the period.
Souls Interlude also continues Mdingi’s collaborative approach. Clarke’s Bookshop has curated a selection of literature that deepens the context around South African jazz and its key figures. THEFOURTH, known for their archival and collectible interior pieces, contributes objects that form part of the installation. Each partner adds a layer to the narrative, showing the ways jazz moves across time, memory, and place.
The exhibition runs from 4–9 December at 107 Castle Street, Cape Town.
Imagery: Ian Bruce Huntley from Keeping Time, courtesy of Chris Alber.
