The visual activist continues to reclaim Black queer visibility in photography with an exhibition at SCAD Museum of Art
A crown of rubber fingers fans around a head like a halo. Each latex glove – puffed, surreal and pitch black – seems to reach, crawl or cling, pushing against the edges of the frame. At the centre is Zanele Muholi’s unwavering gaze, a stillness that grounds the sculptural chaos. Titled Phila I, Parktown (2016), the self-portrait is at once defiant and unsettling, invoking a sense of labour and the intimacy of touch. Like much of Muholi’s work, it insists on being seen.
Born in Umlazi, South Africa, in 1972, Muholi is a self-declared visual activist who has spent decades documenting and celebrating the lives of Black LGBTQIA+ communities – those who are often ignored or misrepresented by dominant narratives. Their most recognised series include Faces and Phases (portraits of Black lesbians in South Africa), Brave Beauties (featuring trans women and nonbinary people in empowered, fashion-editorial poses), and the ongoing Somnyama Ngonyama (Zulu for “Hail the Dark Lioness”), a haunting collection of self-portraits in which Muholi reclaims the Black body through performative, stylised and often fantastical setups. These images, which are frequently staged with everyday materials like scouring pads, clothespins and rubber gloves, are visually majestic and interrogate colonial histories. Currently, Muholi’s work is on view at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, as part of the 2025 deFINE ART programme. The exhibition, which closes this Sunday (July 6), spans several of the artist’s most impactful series, including Faces and Phases, Brave Beauties, and a newly presented group of self-portraits from Somnyama Ngonyama shown in lightbox format.
Among the works on show is Bester I, New York (2019), a striking self-portrait in which Muholi appears adorned with coiled wire and crown-like loops, standing tall and statuesque against a neutral backdrop. Like much of Somnyama Ngonyama, the image amplifies contrast to deepen the darkness of the artist’s skin, confronting racialised perceptions of beauty, power and identity. In Le Sishi, Parktown, Johannesburg (2014), the subject stands in a confident, fashion-forward pose – shirtless and in trousers, with arms flexed – challenging expectations of gender presentation and queer embodiment. Another work, KaQso Kgope, Daveyton, Johannesburg (2017), captures a softer moment: the sitter reclines on a patterned floor, one hand resting gently against the cheek, exuding both resilience and grace. Each portrait in the exhibition is deliberate and dignified, honouring and archiving the lived experiences of Black queer communities.
As Muholi states: “My work is intended for every person – they could be a teacher, or they could be a mother whose child is Queer, trans or gender non-conforming and who wants to have a reference point to show their kids they are not alone, or it could be for LGBTQI people themselves, to understand their own worth. It is about the need for documenting the realities of people who deserve to be heard, who deserve to be seen, and whose lives are often excluded from mainstream media and the art canon. This makes it political. We are claiming space for ourselves in a conscious way in instances where these tend to be ignored by those who are in positions of power.”
In addition to their artistic accolades – including solo shows at Tate Modern, the Brooklyn Museum and SFMOMA – Muholi is the founder of the Muholi Art Institute (MAI), which supports queer youth and promotes arts education in South Africa. Their activism includes running workshops through initiatives like PhotoXP and creating platforms such as Inkanyiso, an online forum for queer visual media. Whether through the camera lens or through grassroots community work, Muholi’s ethos lies within amplifying the voices and stories of those too often left in the shadows.
Zanele Muholi is on view at SCAD Museum of Art until 6 July, find out more here
