Celebrated artist William Kentridge premieres his most ambitious work to date in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern as part of our 2018 season. Opening in July, The Head and the Load combines music, dance, film projections, mechanised sculptures and shadow play to tell the story of millions of African porters serving during the war.
The title of Kentridge’s work comes from a Ghanaian proverb which states ‘the head and the load are the troubles of the neck’. From this starting point, the remarkable versatile artist creates a stunning audiovisual monument to those who died for a cause that was not their own.
“It’s both about the specifics of the war, it’s about colonialism, it’s about incomprehension and making meaning” – William Kentridge
View extracts of the recent workshops in South Africa showing Kentridge in collaboration with an international cast of singers, dancers and performers.
The Head and the Load Workshop Video
The Head and the Load workshop
