Mini Post #1 - Zanele Muholi

I  chose to highlight Zanele Muholi, a black South African lesbian/ non-binary visual artist and photographer. Their work focuses on documenting LGBTQIA+  black people in South Africa to show and express the lives of these people in an African nation full of homophobia and discrimination against them. Deeper than that, part of their mission through their artwork is to reconstruct/recreate the visual histories of LGBTQIA+ people in South Africa because for so they have been full of heartbreaking narratives about the experiences they grow through. Their stories and pieces go beyond the resistance and existence of homophobia, hate crimes, and discrimination rather they bring to life the beauty that does not frequently get shown. Their work is full of positive imagery and storytelling however it does not shy away from the true struggle they are forced to endure. 

Zanele Muholi, Eva Mofokeng, Somizy Sincwala, and Katiso Kgope, Parktown, 2014

One of their most prominent and still ongoing projects “Faces and Phases” started in 2006. Although same-sex marriage was legal in South African by 2005, they chose to start this piece because of the discrimination and violence against black queer and trans women whose fight for equality still persists even within that. The piece above speaks to the beauty of black trans women. Often times the visual history we have of trans women involves mourning the death and killing of these them however, this piece shows another side. That being a woman is not defined by a particular body type. The hands specifically placed on their chest presents a juxtaposition or dichotomy, drawing attention, but also from that area. She is inherently critiquing how we look at the female body, but also bringing to light that it should not be central to defining womanness. 

ZANELE MUHOLI, “Bona, Charlottesville,” 2015. 

 Another project they recently came out with, Somnyana Ngonyama “Hail the Dark Lioness” is a series of herself as the photographer but also the muse. The series serves to tackle a variety of issues, but one trend throughout all the work is the darkness of the photos. She was very purposeful in doing so to show acceptance and love of their dark skin and blackness because historically and presently it is not always deemed as beautiful. The dark tones allow them and other people to reclaim their blackness through the artistry.