William Kentridge: 'Saved by my failures'

The South African artist said he was 'reduced' to Black & White drawing because he was incompetent at oil painting and a worse actor.

Speaking ahead of his exhibition at Marian Goodman Gallery in London, Kentridge said he never considered following his parents' successful careers in Law. His father Sydney Kentridge defended Nelson Mandela in his treason trial and was involved in the inquest into the death of Steve Biko. William said about his father "he'd done it so much better than I would ever do it, I was on a hiding to nothing to try to follow his or my mother's footsteps."

Kentridge was 'cautiously optimistic' about his country's future. He said "there's an extraordinary residue of apartheid" due to the growing resentment from people in the country whose lives haven't changed.