Exhibitions

HORSEMEN OF SEMONKONG

Thom Pierce 2 - 29 Jul 2017 With this series of portraits, photographer Thom Pierce gives insights
into the lives of the shepherds of Semonkong / Lesotho.

“Late afternoon on the plateau, and the cattle are on the move. As the
sun slips below the mountains, herding dogs nip around the fringes
of a meandering column of animals: sheep and goats, bulls and cows.
Presiding over all of them are the sharp-eyed horsemen of Semonkong.
These herders ride amidst the clangor of handmade cowbells,
and in the fading light the procession sounds something like a parade
of steel drummers.

These Basotho men and boys work high up in the mountain kingdom
of Lesotho—a sovereign enclave nation of two million, surrounded
entirely by South Africa. Lesotho is the only country on the planet
entirely above 1,400 meters (approx. 4,500 feet) in elevation; in the
Semonkong region, which sits at 2,275 meters (nearly 7,500 feet),
the terrain is rugged and paved roads are rare, making four-legged
transportation the most practical option. Shepherds play an essential
role in these highlands, where most people make their living through
animal husbandry and subsistence farming. In a country where wealth—
and status, and eligibility for marriage—are largely measured in
livestock, guardians of likhomo (cattle) serve as financial managers of
a kind. A competent shepherd can expect to be paid one cow a year
by his employer. Out on the mountainside, herder boys sit dreaming
of the day when they will own enough cattle to hire minders of their
own.“

Will McGrath
Read more

Item added to cart

Exhibitions

ON PAPER

THE SHADOWED PEOPLE

SUMMER EXHIBITION

THE POETRY OF FABRICS

ALTER EGO

BODY TALKS

TALES

FANTOMES DE LA MER

CAPE ART

HORSEMEN OF SEMONKONG

ALBUS

PAINTINGS

LAYERS

MASKERADE

LEON 1985-2011

STARTER

TARGETS - PARIS - THE UNSEEN WORKS

PARADISE LOST

GETTHO TAROT

ZEITSPRÜNGE

INNER SOUL

GLOBAL TOPICS

FINE ART SELECTION 2014

LOS ULTIMOS CARBONEROS

PALIMPSESTE

SUMMER EXHIBITION 2014

ONE GAME EVERYWHERE

COSMIC ALPHABET

CONNECTIONS

THE SOUR TASTE OF SUGAR

MADE IN GERMANY

CONTEMPORARY AFRICA

SCULPTURES & PAINTINGS

METAMORPHOSIS

CROSS - BORDER

PHOTOGRAPHS

SELECTION

DRIFTEN - SCHIFTEN

FINE ART - NICE PRICE

THEBAN

NEUES IM WESTEN

MULTIPLE ART

BILDER DER ARCHITEKTUR

AFRICA SELECT III

MULTIPLE MASTERPIECES

STEPPING OUT

AFRICA SELECT II

VÄTER UND SÖHNE

AFRICA SELECT I