Azibuye — The Occupation

A dilapidated house stands on a steep mountain slope in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb. The windows and doors are gone, there are huge holes in the roof, and the wilderness has overrun the brick and concrete. It is now home to Masello and Evan, two Black artists who have squatted the building. They proclaim their occupation to be an artistic and political act to address the ongoing inequalities in land ownership in South Africa.

In the sometimes idyllic, sometimes dizzying 360-degree images, we see Masello and Evan at work in the house. They repair the roof and clear the wilderness to make way for a vegetable garden. In one of the huge rooms, the artists paint a mural depicting the long history of expropriation laws in the country. The derelict house becomes a refuge, an indictment, and a gallery, all at the same time. But when the squatters discover the identity of the owner, it sparks a thought-provoking discussion of race, power, and class systems.