Gabrielle Goliath's practice explores mourning and violence through multimedia works

South African artist Gabrielle Goliath creates works addressing racialized, sexualized, and gendered violence. Her 2010 series Berenice 10–28 features photographic portraits honoring a childhood friend killed in 1991 in Kimberly. In 2014, Roulette used revolver shots timed to South African femicide statistics. Elegy, initiated in 2015, is a commemorative performance honoring Ipeleng Christine Moholane, a murdered journalism student from Tembisa. Iterations include tributes to Noluvo Swelindawo in 2017 and victims of the Ovaherero and Nama Genocide at the 2024 Venice Biennale. The 2021 video installation Chorus responds to the rape and murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a University of Cape Town student. Personal Accounts, an ongoing transnational project since 2013, presents edited video portraits of survivors. Its 2024 Venice Biennale iterations include Deinde Falase, Lago di Como, and There’s a river of birds in migration featuring Treyvone Moo. New cycles were created for Jaou Tunis at B7L9 Art Station and an exhibition at Talbot Rice Gallery in Edinburgh. This song is for… (2019) collaborates with rape survivors. These three remain (2023) was commissioned by Sharjah Biennial 15. Goliath’s work seeks to create collective reckoning without retraumatizing survivors.