Born in Johannesburg, Jane Alexander works primarily in sculpture, installation and photomontage. Her figures are characterized by ambiguity; neither one thing nor the other, they are in a constant state of mutation.

Her best-known work, Butcher Boys in the collection of the South African National Gallery, tackles the history of apartheid and the politics of so called 'integration'. The boys' features are an amalgamation of the human and bestial. The sculpture is an uncomfortable reminder of our tendencies towards violence and oppression.

The figure of the 'Harbinger' is a recurring motif within Alexander's oeuvre. The harbinger is a messenger, a portent of things to come. He is monstro...