San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents Zanele Muholi’s solo exhibition, ‘Zanele Muholi: Eye Me,’ on display until August 11, 2024.
Zanele Muholi, a South African photographer, has been working in various cities since 2001. They earned an MFA in Documentary Media from Ryerson University and founded the Muholi Arts Institute in Cape Town in 2021. Muholi began photographing Black lesbian and transgender individuals in 2006, leading to the ongoing portrait project “Faces and Phases.” Their recent series, “Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness),” explores characters and archetypes, challenging dominant cultural images of Black women in the media. Muholi won the 2019 Best Photography Book Award by the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation.
Muholi’s work explores identity and resistance through self-portraits, adopting various personas and using everyday objects as props to evoke elements of South African history, culture, and personal narratives. Their art is a blend of activism, education, and celebration, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of queer individuals through their own experiences. The exhibition also includes recent paintings, a bronze sculpture, and a film, “Difficult Love” (2010).
The exhibition showcases Muholi’s work over two decades, including their earliest series “Only Half the Picture” (2002-06), ongoing projects like “Being” (2006–present), “Brave Beauties” (2014–present), “Faces and Phases” (2006–present), and their most acclaimed series to date, “Somnyama Ngonyama” (Hail the Dark Lioness) (2012–present).
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
