Stefano Firenzuoli
A geometric white staircase on a bright yellow wall in Bo-Kaap.

Bo-Kaap, South Africa — Exhibited at Circuito Off Lucca, 2020

Rainbow
Neighbourhood

In Bo-Kaap, one of South Africa’s most iconic neighbourhoods, I glimpsed the true essence of the Rainbow Nation. It was there in the geometric details of distinct colours, united by a shared history.

From the atrocities of the past emerges a lesson of urgent relevance: not to make room for hatred in order to fight hatred, but to seek in coexistence a higher form of freedom.

“Instead of hatred and revenge, we chose reconciliation and nation-building.”

— Nelson Mandela
A geometric white staircase on a bright yellow wall in Bo-Kaap.
Abstract detail of a red wall with a horizontal white line.
Abstract detail of a yellow wall with a white line.
A white staircase and black railings on a bright green wall.
Green and pink walls divided by sharp horizontal lines.
A pink column framed by geometric surfaces in the same colour.
A white balustrade on a bright pink wall with sharp shadows.
A geometric turquoise volume against a pink background with a white railing.
Yellow and green detail with a white balustrade.
Pastel blue and pink façades with a yellow parapet in Bo-Kaap.

Among steps, thresholds and façades, the neighbourhood offers a tangible idea of coexistence: different identities that, without erasing one another, manage to create a shared design.

Back to Home