Zanele Muholi (b. 1972) stares straight at the viewer in Thathu I, The Sails, Durban, (2019). Ten digital cameras are arrayed around their head and chest. The objects are positioned like jewellery, forming a crown and necklace aptly crafted from Muholi’s creative tool of choice. In addition to the artist’s piercing look, ten more eyes – lenses – focus on us too. It’s a self-portrait that resonates with the title of their latest exhibition at SFMOMA: Eye Me. It marks the first major show of the South African visual activist’s work on the West Coast, with over 100 photographs, paintings, video and sculptures on display.
Photography has long been used by Muholi for resistance and social change. The 2006 series Being is a powerful example. Here, we see everyday moments between queer couples. They pose together, kiss tenderly and look into each other’s eyes. One frame shows couple Nomonde Mafunda and Tumi Ndweni (2007) on the occasion of their civil union marriage. In 2006, South Africa became the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, hate crimes and discrimination continues to limit the freedom of LGBTQ+ people. Muholi started the ongoing series Faces and Phases in the same year of the Civil Union Act. It is a living archive of Black queer people that now comprises over 500 black and white portraits, which are complemented by video interviews. Muholi told The Guardian: “People move on, they change, they marry, they transition. Some survive, some we lose. These are the phases we refer to in the title.”
The artist is also paving the way for future generations. In 2020, they opened the Muholi Art Institute in Cape Town, which offers six twelve-month residencies for up-and-coming creatives. Their expansive practice involves showing the beauty of love as a way of fighting discrimination. By creating opportunities for emerging image-makers, Muholi supports others in telling their own story. Eye Me is an opportunity to experience the work Muholi has done to make visible and celebrate the Black queer community.
SFMOMA, Zanele Muholi: Eye Me | 18 January – 11 August 2024
Words: Diana Bestwish Tetteh
Image Credits:
- Zanele Muholi, Thathu I, The Sails, Durban, 2019; collection of Pamela and David Hornik; © Zanele Muholi.
- Zanele Muholi, Faniswa, Seapoint, Cape Town, from the series Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness), 2016; SFMOMA collection, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Zanele Muholi.
- Zanele Muholi, Lebo Leptie Phume Daveyton, Johannesburg, 2013; courtesy the artist and Yancey Richardson, New York; © Zanele Muholi.
- Zanele Muholi, Zazi I & II, Boston, 2019; Bader + Simon Collection; © Zanele Muholi.
