Uncovering/Recovering the Past is a multi-layered event that engages with the reopened inquest into the death of Imam Abdullah Haron, whilst in police custody in 1969. Through the collaborative work of visual artist Haroon Gunn-Salie and human rights lawyer Odette Geldenhuys, the event explores how art and law intersect in the pursuit of justice and historical truth. At its centre is a striking 3D sculptural reconstruction of Imam Haron’s body, conceived as both legal evidence and evocative artwork, alongside archival documents, and Haroon’s other art, including a powerful soundscape. Audiences are invited to engage with never-before-seen materials and immersive elements, and participate in the event which challenges traditional narratives, confronts institutional silences, and reimagines justice as a collective, affective process. This event is a call to witness—where the past is not only remembered, but reactivated as a space of reckoning, reflection, and repair.

Haroon Gunn-Salie

Haroon Gunn-Salie is an artist, activist, and cultural worker whose multidisciplinary practice draws focus to forms of collaboration through socially-engaged dialogue and exchange. With his commitment to social justice extending beyond the gallery or museum floor, Gunn-Salie serves as a board member of the Human Rights Media Centre, is the chair of the South African Coalition of Transitional Justice’s media and communications committee and has been appointed to the council of the National Arts Council for 2025–2028. Gunn-Salie has participated in significant international exhibitions, including the South African Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and the 19th Festival de Arte Contemporânea Sesc Videobrasil, where he won the SP-Arte/Videobrasil Prize. In 2018, he received the prestigious FNB Art Prize.

Odette Geldenhuys

With wide interests in justice and representation—or empathetic storytelling—Odette has worked in both the fields of law and documentary filmmaking, and in different capacities. In her then role as a partner and the head of the Webber Wentzel pro bono team, Odette was the instructing attorney for the Haron family for the re-opened inquest into the cause of death of Imam Abdullah Haron in solitary confinement on 27 September 1969. She is currently the head of practice development at Cullinan & Associates; and serves as a trustee on the Khayelitsha Youth and Community Trust, and as a non-executive director of ProBono.Org and Encounters Training and Development Institute.

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