4 Diane Victor, Firebringer

Diane Victor

Firebringer, 2016

The gateway to Wölfelstraße opens up the staircase and thus the entrances to the offices on the second and third floors of the Iwalewahaus. On the glass surface of the door's narrow side panel, which usually remains firmly locked, South African artist Diane Victor has painted a delicate depiction with candle smoke: The Firebringer.

Fire-bearers are not uncommon in the cityscape of Johannesburg. The braziers carried on their heads are needed to prepare food that is sold locally to workers and passers-by.

The face of a woman is visible in the window. She is balancing the smoking brazier on her head. A board and her headscarf protect her from the heat.

Diane Victor writes: "Because the candle-smoke image was applied to the window surface of the entrance door, it is only perceived when the viewer looks out of the building towards the city, or into the building from outside. In this way, the fire bearer tries to mediate between the boundaries of these two different worlds. This could be a paraphrase for the differences between South Africa and Germany, socially and culturally. Here (in Bayreuth), the fire bearer is also taken completely out of her actual cultural environment, just like the entire collection in the Iwalewahaus. In a figurative sense, it is the fire bearers who bring light, enlightenment and change into society. Many mythologies tell of the brave heroes or sorcerers who take great risks to carry the fire and light to the people. In this case, the hero is a simple woman with a strong neck and robust constitution".