A dragon, a nurse and 400 plates: artists use imagery to tell story of HIV and TB

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Beaded sticks, colourful swirls, Soul City’s Sister Bettina and 400 plates tell the story of South Africa’s battle against HIV and TB in an exhibition which opened at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Titled Zero is Greater, it brings together seven artists tracing the country’s journey from the darkest days of both epidemics to one of the world’s largest HIV treatment programmes.

A collaboration between the Gates Foundation and health consultancy and advocacy group Global Health Strategies, the exhibition confronts the human cost of HIV and TB.

The idea came from the Gates Foundation’s Erin Cote, who finds creative ways to tell stories that reflect its mission.

“We wanted to bring the HIV story to life in a different way, that brings in the TB story too,” Cote told the Sunday Times.

An open call attracted 60 proposals, from which seven artists were selected.

For multidisciplinary artist Lazi Mathebula, a rewarding moment came when a security guard recognised the character at the heart of his work.

“When I was bringing my piece on site, a security guard asked me, ‘Hey, is that Sister Bettina?’ and I was so happy, because that is what I wanted. My aim was to create something that is relatable and accessible,” he said.

Growing up in Alexandra, Mathebula watched Soul City and volunteered at his local clinic, helping with HIV awareness and supporting patients taking medication.

The television drama brought health and social issues into people’s homes. Its fictional nurse, Sister Bettina, played by Lillian Dube, became a familiar face in the fight against HIV stigma.

That legacy anchors Mathebula’s triptych.

“I wanted my work to be accessible, the character to be identifiable and the message clear, red ribbons included.”

For interdisciplinary artist Serai Lobelo, the epidemic exposed a deeper question: who gets access to dignity, and at what cost?

His installation recalls families ostracising relatives living with Aids.

“My concept was drawn from the height of the pandemic when families would not engage with them or even feed them. They’d put them in a back room and leave a plate of food outside the door. If they returned to find the plate still there, it was a sign that the person had lost their battle,” he said.

Lobelo turned that ritual into an installation featuring a door and 400 plates, colour-coded with references to beetroot, garlic and blood platelets. They tell a story of maso (deaths), manyalo (weddings) and mekete (celebrations).

For mixed-media artist Ayobola Kekere-Ekun, researching the crisis was overwhelming. It brought to mind World War Z, Max Brooks’s novel about a zombie pandemic, and the helplessness of facing an enemy that cannot be negotiated with.

Kekere-Ekun channelled that panic into giant canvases of swirling colour. White represents drowning, while other colours push back, illustrating overcoming.

Multidisciplinary artist Siyababa created a dragon made of beaded sticks, confronting a woman armed with a stick. Organisers limited the work to 10m. Its four parts represent four stages of illness, but the work is also personal.

“I remember the days of HIV stigma, when people were not included by society. It reminded me of my own sister, who contracted HIV later in life,” he said.

He named it Imbuku kaMaglela, after his clan name, and dedicated it to his sister, who inspired the woman confronting the dragon.

“She’s beautiful, strong and a celebration of life,” he said.

Running until November 13, the exhibition invites policymakers, scientists, activists and communities to reflect on advances in treatment, the gaps that remain and what it will take to reach zero deaths.