Artist Spotlight: Ashley Solomons the Intergenerational Trauma Researcher and Artist
by Drew Haller
How can South Africa’s post-Apartheid history be appeased, if at all? Despite the efforts the state has made to reconcile the many atrocities made against people of colour, there are still many unheard voices that deserve upliftment. The landscape of intergenerational trauma is slowly being unearthed through transformative decolonial methodologies, in a redemptive attempt to initiate deeper healing. Healing is not conclusive. It is a continuous process which requires recognition and respect for the way our bodies and minds hold pain. This pain can be passed down from our parents’ traumas, and triggered by the reflections of suffering in present time.
Trauma is a complex product where the past and present collide. It manifests both psychologically and sometimes physically, through diseases such as stress disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harm, substance abuse and more (Gobodo-Madikizela:2008). Thus, trauma healing can be considered as a holistic process, which considers social and mental variables. By combining the resources of the humanities, academic research, and empathetic analyses of the lived human experience, we can begin to discern the rehabilitation necessary for many survivors, working from the inside out. Ashley Solomons is a designer, writer and visual arts researcher at Stellenbosch University, working in historical trauma and social activism. She is working in collaboration with Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela’s project called Through the Eyes of Survivors of Apartheid
Traditional modes of collecting and archiving data can be intrusive. To understand human impacts, researchers must resurface painful memories which can be triggering for survivors. Ashley’s work with the project is attempting to reconstruct our approach towards history. She says, “ I find the ethics of researching within this field specifically challenging. There is no easy way to ask individuals to relive traumatic experiences. Often it feels like research does more harm than good, especially when conducted with time, resource and institutional constraints.”
The project is dedicated to acknowledging the resilience which survivors have demonstrated in the face of continuous infringements against their personhood. Ashley has created a digital archive for the project, which focuses on sharing the stories of 29 individuals from the Western Cape. She says, “I’ve taken this opportunity to rethink current archiving traditions in South Africa.” Ashley and her team have created a multimedia account of their memories, with a sensitivity that seeks to offer the survivors some catharsis too. It is an intimate program which puts you at face-value with the storytellers. In giving survivors a platform to present their individual narratives, in whatever form they prefer, the project creates a more humanistic response to stories which are generally swept over disingenuously in academic overviews.
The section, ‘Some of us survived’, features stories of an older generation who lived with and through apartheid segregation, forced removals, and land appropriation.
The section, ‘It was sore, we were crying, we were laughing’, contains stories of a slightly younger generation who lived through the student protests of the 1970s and the 1980s.
The last section, ‘Some of us have scars, others don’t’, contains stories of living in the aftermath of apartheid — Extract from Through the Eyes of Survivors of Apartheid; These are the Things that Sit With us
This project also contributes to the decolonisation of education, as it is actively presenting information from the perspectives of South Africans who lived through historical systems of oppression. A majority of the institutions which have distributed historical resources in the past have been British and American. This means a lot of our understanding of history is biased in favour of the ‘static’ colonial gaze, which is generally detached from the unique South African context. While they aim to be objective, these issues cannot be dealt with objectively. They are inherently personal, attached to the body, the socio-economic environment and the nation’s psyche.
When participants are isolated from their own stories, education becomes exclusionary and often ill-informed. This is why it is so important to listen to indigenous voices when considering our legacies (Van Jaarsveldt, De Vries, & Kroukamp:2019). Ashley describes how the project is situating survivors at the centers of their stories again. The Postcolonial Archive which Ashley has created is focused on “continuing existing narratives, legitimising local knowledge, and creating an accessible space for sharing knowledge.” The Postcolonial Archive is also experimenting with participatory artmaking as a tool to immerse the storytellers in creative, physical interventions which use visual imagery to expand the way survivors conceive these stories.
“This project invites individuals to expand the South African story through the sharing of their personal narratives — an inclusion of voices which often remain silenced in ‘official’ History. People and their stories should be involved as more than secondary subject matter… Creatives can be responsible for the representation of these histories. Listen and collaborate with individuals to expand the South African narrative with sensitivity and empathy. I don’t think it’s possible to be objective, but it’s important to acknowledge your biases throughout the process.” — Ashley Solomons
Ashley uses her experience as a designer and researcher as a form of social activism. She agrees that social media has definitely impacted the way we engage with these topics. She says, “Social media has influenced the way Gen Z’s and Millennials negotiate intergenerational trauma. Activism through storytelling on social media platforms has been a trend throughout the last decade.” Mental health diseases were once regarded as private taboos. Today, psychological wellbeing and the practices surrounding it are gradually being normalized in mainstream media. They remove the conservative formalities, and liberate participants by integrating their own interpretations next to the academic texts and articles.
Oral traditions, music, poetry, art and discussion return agency back to the survivors, thus redistributing power back into their hands. It allows them to cite their own stories, and elaborate their experiences in more than simplistic hero/victim/villain character structures. This way, we can see the nuanced intricacies of their backgrounds. Social media is just one of the many great resources that enhances this kind of engagement between communities with similar histories, creating networks for people to compare and relate their perceptions and emotions. Ashley says, “Personally, I’ve felt more empowered as a person with mental illness and neurodiversity as a result of the growing social media activist community.”
Social activists like Ashley use a range of technology and mediums at their disposal to share the resources and information that help people to find comfort and acceptance in their struggles. By advocating for intentional awareness and empathy, she in turn advocates for social justice. Ashley uses a range of information outlets for reference in her work, including Africa is Now, Art Africa, YouTube, Instagram and Udemy. She also finds great inspiration in the works of Trinh Minh-ha, a Vietnamese post-colonial theorist, filmmaker, feminist and writer, who has created influential pieces such as the book Woman, Native, Other (1989), the article Documentary is/not a name (1990) and the film Reassemblage (1982). Achille Mbembe’s Article, African modes of self-writing (2002), has also been a significant reference for Ashley. Amy Ayanda is another reputable muse who Ashley is inspired by. She is a South African artist and musician who explores female fertility and the complexities of historical land distribution in the Western Cape.
Ashley’s work takes place in the Research Chair for Historical Trauma and Transformation at Stellenbosch University. The Chair uses interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches to enhance conversations about the complex interplay of culture, memory and violence. It uses photographs, video, illustration and storytelling to document and demonstrate the raw reality of Apartheid’s impacts in everyday life even now. It is dedicated to adapting this research into transformative healing practices. Ashley also interprets this goal in a personal way. However, her work with trauma response is two-fold, both academic and artistic. Her passion has translated into Silty, her own creative brand which explores mental health awareness, in the form of visual and artistic resistance.
Silty remedies our vulnerabilities through artworks focused on self-love, healing and community. In 2020 Ashley created two series called Heart Art and Bloom. They combine serene visual imagery with empowering, prose and poetry. Her words remind us that our anguish is not permanent, but rather ‘transient’. She believes we are all humans “in becoming”, constantly changing and adapting in response to our experiences. Her designs are reassuring, accessible, and kind — Ashley truly comforts readers with an eloquent patience. The words can easily be engaged as guiding mantras and self-care touchstones.
Most importantly, they are cathartic visual expressions of Ashley’s own combat with her context. Ashley says, “I’ve been shaped partly by the experiences and views of my family — especially related to apartheid. I’ve experienced the intergenerational impact of apartheid throughout my life. My work is an attempt at employing productive empathy — acknowledging injustice and taking transformative action in return.” Ashley uses empathy, nature, art and writing as healing tools. She says, “They don’t always work, but it’s good to keep trying. I try to be gracious and kind to myself throughout the process.” She extends this grace to us in an equally generous and open-hearted way, in a mission to restructure the way we treat ourselves and our pain.
If you want to support Ashley and her work, you can:
- Donate to her charity of choice, Project Dignity, a human rights organization which is providing menstrual products for girls in school.
- Follow her page for uplifting mental health messages on Instagram
- Familiarize yourself with the work of Through the Eyes of Survivors of Apartheid: Life Despite Pain and Suffering. Improving your understanding of these issues will ultimately contribute to our generation’s attitudes towards Apartheid survivors, and hopefully encourage all of us to become more active social justice advocates.
Also, if you’re trying to center your mind today after a difficult week, work session or any other stressful event, we highly recommend listening to Ashley’s feature playlist. It is a meditative, tender collection full of relatable melodies and enchanting lullabies.
