Abstract This reflection on practice develops the idea of a skin metaphor in the work of a selection of contemporary South African artists working in clay. In particular, it discusses selected works by Juliet Armstrong and Andile Dyalvane in relation to the author's own practice. The author proposes that body- and skin-like forms can speak about how we see ourselves and others within post-apartheid South African cultural contexts. Themes discussed in relation to ceramic works include cultural appropriation, the anxieties of whiteness, and cultural identities. The article covers works produced at least ten years after the pivotal democratic elections in 1994 that symbolise the end of the socially and economically damaging apartheid regime. With this in mind, all of these works can be interpreted as part of an (admittedly flawed) project of slowly healing our metaphorical skin, in which South African artists have grappled with cultural and human identities from a range of highly individual perspectives. In engaging with their works, we are better able to understand specific local human conditions.

中文翻译：

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自我/他者/粘土/皮肤：安迪尔·迪尔万、朱丽叶·阿姆斯特朗和金·巴格利对陶瓷的反思

摘要 这种对实践的反思发展了在选择使用粘土工作的南非当代艺术家的作品中的皮肤隐喻的想法。特别地，它讨论了与作者自己的实践相关的 Juliet Armstrong 和 Andile Dyalvane 的精选作品。作者提出，身体和皮肤的形式可以说明我们在种族隔离后的南非文化背景下如何看待自己和他人。与陶瓷作品相关的主题包括文化挪用、白人焦虑和文化身份。这篇文章涵盖了在 1994 年关键的民主选举之后至少十年制作的作品，该选举象征着对社会和经济造成破坏的种族隔离制度的结束。考虑到这一点，所有这些作品都可以被解释为缓慢治愈我们隐喻皮肤的（公认有缺陷的）项目的一部分，其中南非艺术家从一系列高度个性化的角度来应对文化和人类身份。在参与他们的作品时，我们能够更好地了解当地特定的人文状况。