Voices Of South African Female Artists

South Africa experienced a history of colonization and apartheid,its history and reality are very special and complex.It has a range of issues such as ethnic identity,culture,politics,economics and gender,which are reflected in South African contemporary art.A review of the history of South African art reveals these problems,and a combing of the development of contemporary art in South Africa helps us understand the historical and realistic context of Mary Sibande's creation and its significance to the art history.Mary Sibande is world-renowned for her most iconic work "Sophie ",who dressed in a combination of Victorian aristocratic women's dress and South African black maids' uniform.Her works of different stages and styles give us a great visual impact,and have rich symbolic meanings.They are a series of memory devices representing colonial,oppression and ethnic conflict,reflecting the position and voice of a black South African woman.She dares to liberate herself from ethnic heritage and explore an open narrative.Mary Sibande is also a great case from the perspective of post-colonial feminism,which also allows us to see the art and reality of a special country and bring some inspiration to our own art creation.