Zanele Muholi / South Africa

South Africa born 1972

Zanele Muholi describes herself as a visual activist. Somnyama Ngonyama, 2015-16, which translates to ‘Hail the dark lioness’, is the first work in which Muholi presents herself as the model. She uses everyday objects as props and simple backdrops to examine concepts of self-representation and the contemporary phenomenon of the ‘selfie’. Muholi has also manipulated the appearance of her skin to appear as a deep, intense black. Discussing this, she wrote: ‘By exaggerating the darkness of my skin tone, I’m reclaiming my blackness’. These photographs are powerful self-portraits addressing issues of race, gender politics and debunking stereotypes of African women.

BIO

Muholi co-founded the Forum for Empowerment of Women in 2002, and in 2009 established Inkanyiso – a forum for queer and visual activists. Her work has been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in Africa, Europe and the North America, including Bienal de Sao Paulo in 2010, and Documenta 13, Kassel, in 2012, as well as solo presentations at Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, in 2006; the Brooklyn Museum, New York, in 2015; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, in 2017. Muholi received the Casa África award for best female photographer in 2009.