Zanele Muholi

Zanele Muholi is one of the most acclaimed photographers working today. The extensive exhibition opening at Bildmuseet, Sweden, presents their career as a photographer and visual activist from the early 2000s until today.

In beautiful and striking images, Muholi portrays the lives of black LGBTQIA+ lives in South Africa and beyond. Their work includes depictions of love and intimacy as well as intense portraits of people who risk their lives to live authentically despite oppression and discrimination. In the ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama [Hail the Dark Lioness], Muholi turns the camera on themself. With references to family history and depiction of the black body through the ages, the artist stages themself, over and over again.

Zanele Muholi (b. 1972, Durban) is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and their work has experienced global exposure at leading art museums and biennials. Muholi has received a large number of awards for their photography.

The exhibition will run at Bildmuseet until 8 May, 2022. It is organised by the Tate Modern in London in collaboration with Bildmuseet, Gropius Bau in Berlin and Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris. The exhibition catalogue contains an interview with Zanele Muholi by Museum Director Katarina Pierre, Bildmuseet, as well as texts by Sarah Allen, Pamella Dlungwana, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Candice Jansen, Sindiwe Magona, Renée Mussai and Yasufumi Nakamori.