Ilan Godfrey (b 1980) is a South African photographer, who’s work explores the diverse social, political, economic and environmental currents that shape contemporary South Africa, giving viewers a broader, and at the same time, more deeply personal understanding of the country they live in but seldom truly gets to grips with. His photographic practice includes extensive research and focuses on issues that expose South Africa’s constantly shifting landscape, documenting the country with an in-depth and intimate conscience. By conveying through long-term, multi-layered projects a process of investigative narration with photography, he reveals varied aspects of societal change across the country.
At nineteen he moved to England and spent the next eleven years working between Johannesburg and London before returning to South Africa in 2011 to focus on several long-term projects. One of which would evolve over two and a half years into the Legacy of the Mine. An unflinching series of images set out to expose the unwanted and perhaps under-explored legacy confronting South Africa’s land and people by giving agency to those whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed by mining processes and the long-term environmental ramifications. This resulted in Ilan receiving the prestigious Ernest Cole Award in 2012. Legacy of the Mine (Jacana, 2013) was published as his first monograph and was launched in conjunction with solo exhibitions across South Africa.
In 2016 he continued to explore South Africa’s extractive sector by collaborating with the Open Society Foundation for South Africa to produce the seminal work, The Platinum Belt. This multifaceted work incorporates narrative sound, extensive writings and a geotagged online platform accessible to a global audience and the local communities directly impacted by the platinum extractive sector.
Ilan’s work has been recognised by various international photography awards and grants and exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide, including the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK), Iziko South African National Gallery (Cape Town, SA), Wits Art Museum (Johannesburg, SA), Musée du quai Branly (Paris, France) and most recently Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg, SA).
His work is regularly published in a broad range of leading international publications including The New Yorker, Le Monde Magazine, ZEIT Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine, Guardian Weekend Magazine and the Financial Times Magazine. Aside from his editorial work he collaborates with institutions and organisations worldwide, regularly working on commissions for global brands including, The Open Society Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The MasterCard Foundation, Barclays Bank, VISA Card, The Toyota Mobility Foundation and GlaxoSmithKline.
He holds a BA (Hons) degree in Photography from the University of Westminster and was awarded the David Faddy Scholarship to continue his studies, receiving an MA degree in Photojournalism.