The 52-year-old hailing from Umlazi, Durban, is dressed in moody dark garments complete with a wide-brim hat and Afro comb ring.
“In this volume more than a hundred images were taken and edited to come upon with this final presentation. Most of the time I am alone in these different spaces with no artificial light or special anything. It's just the shutter, the remote control, myself and the camera,” Muholi says.
The first instalment of the publication was published in 2018 and won the Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award.
A dominant current throughout the series is the devotion to capture and document moments, whether of yourself or others.
“I insisted on self-portraiture as I don’t want to forget myself. I can’t lose myself in that moment of self I move in-between spaces. I’m fascinated with blackness and people’s origins. I know how uneasy it can become for people who may not like to be photographed,” Muholi says.
“Something important when you capture self-portraits is dealing with the unknown as sometimes you don’t know what the final product will be. As well as not knowing how people will react to this image and the audience not understanding the context behind what you are trying to reveal to share with them as an audience.”
Muholi’s work in the series draws on the possibilities of black lives beyond hardship.
“One type of story that I wasn't willing to listen to pen was hate crime stories in SA. This time I just wanted the beautiful image and give people the opportunity to share their own stories when they are ready to do so,” Muholi says.
“We have such a beautiful visual history in SA. We could toyi-toyi as much as we want or theorise as much as we wish but if we cannot bring to the fore through visuals that speak to those moments and the movements then we are shortchanging ourselves.
“We need those visuals to articulate ourselves in ways that haven't been done before. This is why we need to fix our local visual language, that is to bring forth a language spoken by our people. Also to make sure those who are in the visual arts space have a local understanding like how we have SA slang.”
Zanele Muholi shares spotlight with new talent in latest book
Visual artist's self-portrait series displays black lives beyond suffering
Image: Zanele Muholi
Celebrated photographer and visual artist Zanele Muholi shares the spotlight with upcoming young talent for their newest book and second instalment of their self-portrait series Somnyama Ngonyama: Hail the Darl Lioness Volume II.
“These are young people who feature in my photographs in my other projects who love photography themselves,” Muholi says, before name-checking the individuals peppered around the space of their book launch.
“I cannot be good alone as there are many good people who can do better work than myself. These are your South Africa’s best. When I started no one believed in us. No one would even be present to photograph us. I had to make sure that I formed a crew where we are not waiting for mainstream to defend us.”
The dimly lit intimate courtyard of Mamakashaka on 5 De Beer Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, serves as the meeting point where art aficionados and fans of Muholi’s work gather for a discussion moderated by writer and cultural theorist Ashraf Jamal.
“Before you leave, sit down and look through,” Muholi instructs me, before assigning me to an unoccupied chair with an open book situated in the corner shared by a potted plant.
Running my fingers over the book cover illustration, a portrait of Muholi donned in Afro combs shines in an iridescent glow under the lights. The visually captivating and weighted coffee table reader boasts a treasure trove of striking, black-treated images of Muholi and other bodies shot in various international locations. Weaved in between are written contributions from respected industry peers and academics curated by historian Renée Mussai.
The 52-year-old hailing from Umlazi, Durban, is dressed in moody dark garments complete with a wide-brim hat and Afro comb ring.
“In this volume more than a hundred images were taken and edited to come upon with this final presentation. Most of the time I am alone in these different spaces with no artificial light or special anything. It's just the shutter, the remote control, myself and the camera,” Muholi says.
The first instalment of the publication was published in 2018 and won the Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award.
A dominant current throughout the series is the devotion to capture and document moments, whether of yourself or others.
“I insisted on self-portraiture as I don’t want to forget myself. I can’t lose myself in that moment of self I move in-between spaces. I’m fascinated with blackness and people’s origins. I know how uneasy it can become for people who may not like to be photographed,” Muholi says.
“Something important when you capture self-portraits is dealing with the unknown as sometimes you don’t know what the final product will be. As well as not knowing how people will react to this image and the audience not understanding the context behind what you are trying to reveal to share with them as an audience.”
Muholi’s work in the series draws on the possibilities of black lives beyond hardship.
“One type of story that I wasn't willing to listen to pen was hate crime stories in SA. This time I just wanted the beautiful image and give people the opportunity to share their own stories when they are ready to do so,” Muholi says.
“We have such a beautiful visual history in SA. We could toyi-toyi as much as we want or theorise as much as we wish but if we cannot bring to the fore through visuals that speak to those moments and the movements then we are shortchanging ourselves.
“We need those visuals to articulate ourselves in ways that haven't been done before. This is why we need to fix our local visual language, that is to bring forth a language spoken by our people. Also to make sure those who are in the visual arts space have a local understanding like how we have SA slang.”
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