Exhibition Type: Solo Exhibition
Artist(s): Jansje Wissema (b 1920, Holland)
Venue: CAPE TOWN MEDICAL MUSEUM
Address: Old City Hospital Complex, Portswood Road, Green Point
Opening: No opening reception
Exhibition End Date: 25 September 2026
Description:
Born in the Netherlands in 1920, Wissema moved to the Cape with her family in 1926, where she lived until her death in 1975. In the early 1970s, she was commissioned by the then Cape Institute of Architects (now the Cape Institute for Architecture) to document District Six at a critical moment in its history.
Once a vibrant, multicultural neighbourhood close to the city centre was declared a “White Group Area” under apartheid legislation in 1966. This led to the forced removal of more than 60,000 residents and the systematic destruction of homes, businesses, and places of worship. By the time Wissema began photographing the area, much of the community had already been displaced, and the erasure of its physical and social fabric was well underway.
Her images remain a powerful visual chronicle of this process, capturing both the lingering presence of a once-thriving community and the stark reality of its dismantling.
This exhibition is presented by the Cape Institute for Architecture – they are the custodians of Wissema’s extensive archive.
