We recently popped over to the significant yet little known Camera Club to attend the private view of their new exhibit ‘Masks of Becoming’. Frequent readers are aware that when we see words ‘private’ and ‘view’ that usually means free food and wine so we can’t resist the temptation to crash the proceedings without actually being invited.  

Miguel Sobreira is a Portuguese/South African artist and this body of work consists primary of African themed masks and photos of him in various guises wearing the masks. Patterned prints are extremely integral to the identity of people from Sub-Saharan Africa and Sobreira uses his background in textiles to reimagine these to align with his own identity and message.

Masks and veils are used as signals to indicate what might be going on behind them. In our office they usually indicate that the person behind said mask had four hours of sleep over the weekend and is now paying the cost. Sobreira is the subject of much of his work, and his mask conceals identity, belonging, ancestry and queerness. Or perhaps feeling that none of these can be fully revealed. Much of what he works with is reused materials such as cardboard, reused materials also having their own unique backstories.  

The Camera Club is one of the only clubs of its kind in the world, but you’re already aware of this as you lap up our helpings of literary laurels on a regular basis and you read our review last year. Miguel Sobreira: Masks of Becoming is on now until 23.10 and is totally free. Open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, weekends until 18:00. And, no, we have no idea why its open 75 hours a week.