Zanele Muholi’s (b. 1972) show returns to Tate Modern and is on view until 26th January 2025. he first comprehensive UK survey of the artist’s oeuvre, this exhibition was supposed to open at Tate Modern in 2020 but was postponed due to the countrywide covid lockdown. After an incredibly successful and record-breaking European tour, visitors now have the chance to experience an extended and improved version of the exhibition. It’s one of the most important shows of the season.

Muholi is a visual activist who rose to fame in the early 2000s with images that depicted Black LGBTQI+ identities in South Africa. The collection of more than 300 images showcases the range of Muholi’s immense photographic talent, spanning from their initial body of work to their most recent and ongoing series. These pictures subvert prevailing beliefs by showcasing the subjects as strong, independent people who bravely endure bigotry, intolerance, and frequently violent acts. One of her work is also on view at the South London Gallery too.

Zanele Muholi shares the experiences of Black LGBTQIA+ people both within and outside of her own country in these fantastic works contextualised with historical and political background information. The artist uses photography to document positive visual histories for underrepresented and misrepresented cultures. Muholi also turns the camera on themselves, creating self-portraits that discuss politics and societal injustices, as seen in the last room which is spectacular.

During the 1990s, South Africa underwent major social and political changes. While its 1996 post-apartheid constitution was the first in the world to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, the LGBTQIA+ community remains a target for violence and prejudice to this day. The exhibition showcases some of these developments and sad events in a well-documented room complementing the artworks on views.

In the early series Only Half the Picture, Muholi depicts the complexities of gender and sexuality for the queer community, including moments of love and intimacy as well intense images alluding to traumatic events in the lives of the participants. 

Muholi also began an ongoing visual archive of portraits, Faces and Phases, which celebrates and commemorates Black lesbians, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Each participant looks directly at the camera, challenging the viewer to hold their gaze, while individual testimonies capture their stories. This is one of the most poignant moments of this fantastic exhibition. The project has become a living archive of this community in South Africa and beyond.

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Image: Zazi II, ISGM, Boston, 2019 (c) Zanele Muholi