Artist 23 Zanele Muholi Visual Activism
Zanele Muholi is a South African artist and self-described visual activist working in photography, video and installation.
When this article was written in 2018 I wasn't aware of Muholi's preferred pronouns them/they and has now been updated.
Their work focuses on black lesbian, gay, transgender, and intersex people.
Muholi has described themself as a visual activist as opposed to an artist. They are dedicated to increasing the visibility of black lesbian, gay, transgender, and intersex people. They research and document the stories of hate crimes against the gay community to bring forth the realities of “corrective rape”, assault, and HIV/AIDS, to public attention.
Their photography is a tool to subvert the typical representations of the LGBTQ community. They create an archive of photos, working to dismantle dominant, pre-existing perceptions.
Through their artistic approach, they hope to document the journey of the African queer community as a record for future generations. They try to capture the moment without negativity or focusing on the prevalent violence, portraying the LGBTQI community as individuals and as a whole to encourage unity.
Their series entitled ‘Hail the Dark Lioness’ will be the focus of today.
They use their body to confront the politics of race and representation, questioning the way the black body is shown and perceived.
These self-portraits, echo the aesthetics of black-and-white portraiture and fashion photography and dressing in different outfits to play with different personas.
“I’m reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other,” says South African photographer Zanele Muholi. “My reality is that I do not mimic being black; it is my skin, and the experience of being black is deeply entrenched in me. Just like our ancestors, we live as black people 365 days a year, and we should speak without fear.”
What I love about this portrait series technically is how they handle the black and white photography. The portraits reference to haute couture is powerful in resisting the social historical backlash of being black. This struggle is reflected in their struggle as someone who identifies outside of their communities norms within the black community.
Zanele Muholi has helped found two organizations:
Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), a black lesbian organization dedicated to providing a safe space for women to meet and organize.
Inkanyiso, a non-profit organisation concerned with queer visual activism. It is involved with visual arts and media advocacy for and on behalf of the LGBTI community.
Please if you are affected by the struggles they advocates reach out to these groups.
Sources consulted:
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