Soho Eckstein Cycle

Another centerpiece of the exhibition is William Kentridge’s “Soho Eckstein” cycle, a series of hand-drawn animations that helped establish his presence in the 1980s and 90s. Set against a backdrop of the harsh realities of the private mining industry in modern-day Johannesburg, the films recount the love triangle between the business titan Soho, his wife, and the lowly,daydreaming Felix Teitlebaum—a stand-in for the artist himself. Soho and Felix appear in alternating turns in the movie, and while they seem like two individuals, they might also be read as the dual personalities of the artist. Born to a family of Jewish immigrants, Kentridge’s father was a well-known lawyer devoted to human rights in South Africa. Coming from this background, the artist has been both gifted and plagued by a sense of social responsibility. The racial persecution he never experienced as a result of his priveleged upbringing paradoxically feeds his anxiety.