Exhibition Type: Group Exhibition
Artist(s): Michael Wyeth (illustrated), Larry Hirshowitz (SA/USA) and many more
Venue: WORLDART Gallery
Address: 68 Long Street, Cape Town
Opening: 03 September 2026, 18:00
Exhibition End Date: 27 September 2026, 18:00
Description:
Shooting Stars is a festival project dedicated to music photography, presenting a series of exhibitions across multiple venues, including the WORLDART Gallery and Artscape Theatre Centre.
Michael Wyeth
The Base/Jazz Den: A Melting Pot of Music and Rebellion
A selection of photographs and Café Royal Books
WORLDART Gallery
Against the backdrop of late apartheid-era South Africa, a rare space of cultural convergence emerged in Cape Town: The Base/Jazz Den. Founded in 1987 at 88 Shortmarket Street, this nightclub and live music venue became a sanctuary for musicians and audiences across racial and social divides – an extraordinary phenomenon in a deeply segregated society.
Here, genres collided and coexisted: punk with folk, hip hop with Afro-jazz, goth alongside Rasta. More than a venue, The Base/Jazz Den functioned as a site of resistance and exchange, where artists, activists, and future cultural leaders gathered, united by music and a shared refusal of imposed boundaries.
Cape Town photographer Michael Wyeth was not merely an observer of this scene, but an active participant – promoting the club and designing its logo. His photographs, now published in collaboration with Café Royal Books in the zine The Base and Jazz Den Cape Town, South Africa 1987–1989, offer an intimate and unfiltered view into this pivotal moment.
Working under constant threat, Wyeth navigated the risks of documenting a mixed-race audience in violation of apartheid laws. Police raids were frequent, and the presence of informers required vigilance. The possibility of equipment confiscation—or detention without trial – was ever-present.
The images presented here capture not only performances, but a charged atmosphere of defiance, creativity, and solidarity. They stand as a testament to a community that forged connection and cultural expression under pressure, and to a moment in which music became both refuge and resistance.
