South African photographer Jillian Edelstein's work traces apartheid history and reconciliation

Photographer Jillian Edelstein's first major survey exhibition, 'Among People', has opened at Stills gallery in Edinburgh, drawing together more than four decades of her work. Born in South Africa and now based in London, Edelstein has included both rarely seen early images and better-known series in the show.

A central part of the exhibition is 'Truth and Lies', made between 1996 and 2002, when Edelstein repeatedly travelled back to South Africa to document the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Set up after the end of apartheid, the commission invited victims and perpetrators of human rights abuses to testify as the country sought to confront its past. The series includes images of commission chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as people affected by apartheid-era violence, including a woman who kept her son's hair for 20 years after he was killed with rat poison.

Alongside this work, the exhibition features Edelstein's portraits of figures such as Nelson Mandela, Vanessa Redgrave and other artists and public figures, drawn from a long-running portrait series she has pursued since the 1980s. The show also includes early photographs from South Africa, such as images of the fishing community at Kalk Bay, and later work connected to Edelstein's own family history research in Ukraine.

Curator Tracy Marshall-Grant said Edelstein's photography moves between intimate personal encounters and broader social history. 'Among People' is on view at Stills, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival until 24 October 2026.