Southern Guild presents ‘ZANELE MUHOLI,’ by Zanele Muholi, an autobiographical exhibition, on display until August 17.

Zanele Muholi, born in Umlazi, Durban, in 1972, is a South African visual activist and artist focused on documenting and celebrating the Black LGBTQI+ community. Notably, her ‘Faces and Phases’ project captures Black lesbian and transgender individuals, addressing hate crimes and discrimination by portraying a positive queer identity. Her other series, ‘Somnyama Ngonyama’ (Hail the Dark Lioness), features self-portraits reflecting South Africa’s political history and challenges prevailing media representations of Black women. Aside from artistic work, Muholi also advocates for educational activism and youth development through projects and initiatives like Inkanyiso and the Forum for Empowerment of Women.

‘ZANELE MUHOLI’ utilizes elements of performance with the immediacy of both political protest and African informal trade and craft markets. Muholi’s three-dimensional expansion into bronze honors their familial origin and commemorates Black women and LGBTQI+ individuals’ contributions to art, politics, medical sciences, and culture. The exhibition interrogates social, political, and biomedical practices and conditioning that have placed women, girls, and non-binary female bodies in conflict with their physical bodies and re-focus women and audiences around the importance of their reproductive and sexual rights and autonomy.

Southern Guild aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of humanitarian, environmental, and societal concerns with targeted projects, large-scale installations, and immersive experiences. Their artists explore personal narratives, cultural structures, and social change.

Source: Southern Guild.