Zanele Muholi

The National Gallery of Iceland presents this major survey of the work of internationally-recognised South African photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholi (b. 1972). Muholi‘s powerful images capture the struggle for the rights of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people in the artist‘s home country. Muholi gives a voice to those who have to battle on a daily basis for recognition of their identity.

More than 100 photographs, together with video works, provide insight into these marginalised communities: Muholi‘s sincere view focusses especially on identity politics, prohibitions, hate crime and rape, but also on pride, resistance, unity and love.

Zanele Muholi was born in Umlazi, Durban in 1972 and lives in Johannesburg. They studied at the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg, and Ryerson University, Toronto. Co-founder of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, and founder of Inkanyiso, a forum for queer and visual media, Muholi is also an honorary professor at the University of the Arts Bremen, Germany. Solo exhibitions of Muholi’s work have been hosted around the world, including at the Goethe-Institut, Johannesburg (2012); Brooklyn Museum, New York (2015); Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2017); Autograph ABP, London (2017) and Museo de Arte moderno de Buenos Aires (2018). Muholi has won numerous awards. Somnyama Ngonyama was shown at the 58th Venice Biennale (2019); Faces and Phases was shown at dOCUMENTA 13 (2012) and the 55th Venice Biennale (2013).

Muholi’s pronouns are they, them, their.

The exhibition is organised by Tate Modern, London in collaboration with the National Gallery of Iceland, Kunstforeningen GL Strand, Copenhagen, and Bildmuseet at Umeå University.

Curators: Yasufumi Nakamori, Senior Curator, Tate Modern, London; Vigdís Rún Jónsdóttir, project manager – exhibitions, and Harpa Þórsdóttir, director, National Gallery of Iceland.