Why an honorary doctorate? 

William Kentridge was awarded an honorary doctorate by VUB, University of the Western Cape, and Ghent University on 17 November 2021 in recognition of his endless humanistic and artistic quest to reconcile peoples by constantly reinventing the art of drawing and pursuing the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk through all possible forms of vision. 

 

“Forgetting is natural, remembering is the effort one makes.” 

About his career

William Kentridge is one of the most appreciated contemporary artists. He is active in film, theatre, opera, and the visual arts. He is an exemplary figure of the so-called ‘artist as educator’. He battled apartheid with his artistic work and cultural interventions for more than four decades. Working with an interdisciplinary network of scientists, artists, filmmakers, musicians, and puppeteers, he has consistently linked the South African experience to the global struggle against the scourge of racism and environmental destruction.

Ubu and the Truth Commission

Kentridge's production of the famous Ubu and the Truth Commission, which he co-wrote with Jane Taylor, was recently performed in a second iteration around the world. The continuing success of the production, which is widely taught around the world as a Truth Commission text, lends itself to an interdisciplinary dialogue that is central to the University of the Western Cape's (UWC) vision of building a post-apartheid university to heal and reverse the emotional scars and effects of colonialism and apartheid.

Valued worldwide

William Kentridge is one of the most consulted artists on questions of visual culture, aesthetics, and humans and is invited to contribute to the global debate more frequently than any other South African artist. Since becoming the young artist of the Standard Bank in 1987, he has been selected by Rolex as a mentor. In this role, he has creatively guided younger artists. He has won numerous awards and honorary doctorates, including the Kyoto Award and the Carnegie Prize. In recent years, his lecture-performances have attracted great worldwide interest, with these works generating a profound aesthetic and political innovation as he brings together questions on the history of science, colonialism, and aesthetic theory. 

Plus acknowledgement of Kentridge's father

Nominating William Kentridge also recognises the role of his father, Sydney Kentridge, as a lawyer in the Treason Trial. Recently, Kentridge has invited and supported a next generation of artists, such as jazz musician Kyle Shepherd, Ilze Wolff, architect and former researcher at the CHR, and UWC Artist in Residence, Tony Miyambo, through his Centre for the Less Good Idea. Shepherd, Wolff, and Miyambo are each regarded as important interpretive voices of South African individuality, both locally and internationally.

Example of peace and solidarity

William Kentridge is an exemplary intellectual who strives to translate and communicate the complexity of the South African experience through art forms that seek to affirm the prospects of a post-apartheid future. He has been a source of inspiration for many of the artworks that form part of the UWC's extensive collections. William Kentridge would be a worthy ambassador for the UWC's commitment to unravelling the legacy of race in a world where its effects are felt more acutely and with greater intensity.

Consistent with the values of VUB

The manner in which William Kentridge, through his work as an artist, tries to help turn the page on apartheid in South Africa makes him an example of peace and solidarity. In doing this, he aligns himself with the values we cherish at VUB: equality and respect for diversity. Such values are under pressure in many places in the world today. With an honorary doctorate for William Kentridge, we can give a clear signal that we, as VUB, will defend those values always and everywhere.

 

What is an honorary doctorate?

VUB has awarded honorary doctorates every year since 1978 to personalities from the most diverse backgrounds who have made a remarkable contribution to their field and to society. From this solemn moment of recognition, they bear the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa of VUB. 

All about honorary doctorates