Zanele Muholi
Encyclopedia
Zanele Muholi is a South African photographer and visual activist.
, Durban
) is a South African photographer and visual activist.
in 2003, and held her first solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery
in 2004. In 2009 she was awarded her Master of Fine Arts
degree in Documentary
Media
from Ryerson University
in Toronto
. Her thesis mapped the visual history of black lesbian identity and politics in post-Apartheid South Africa.
. In 2002, she co-founded the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), a black lesbian organization dedicated to providing a safe space for women to meet and organize. She researched and documented the stories of hate crimes against the gay community in order to bring forth the realities of “curative rape”, assault, and HIV/AIDS, to public attention.
Muholi launched her visual activism through her first solo exhibition entitled 'Visual Sexuality: Only Half the Picture', at the Johannesburg Art Gallery
in 2004. Her work is mostly about bringing visibility of queers in the black community. She has exhibited at the CCA Lagos in Nigeria
, the Kunsthalle Wien Project Space in Vienna
, Michael Stevenson
in Cape Town
, Le Case d’Arte in Milan
, Fred Mann
in London, and as part of the Afrovibes Festival in Amsterdam
.
Her recent group exhibitions include: ...for those who live in it: Pop Culture, Politics and Strong Voices at MU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
(2010); Bamako in Toronto, Toronto
(2010); Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities at Spelman College
Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, USA (2009); and Life Less Ordinary: Performance and Display in South African Art at Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham
, UK (2009). She has been selected for the São Paulo Biennial in the fall of 2010.
in the United States. She won the Casa Africa award for best female photographer and a Fondation Blachère award at the Rencontres de Bamako biennial of African photography in 2009, and received a Fanny Ann Eddy accolade from IRN-Africa for her outstanding contributions to the study of sexuality in Africa.
walked out off an exhibition that featured Muholi’s photography, calling it immoral, offensive and going against nation-building
. In her response Muholi expressed her sentiments by saying; "It's paralysing. I expected people to think before they act, and to ask questions. I wanted to create dialogue"
Overview
Zanele Muholi (Born 19 July 1972 in UmlaziUmlazi
Umlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban....
, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
) is a South African photographer and visual activist.
Early life
Muholi was born to Ashwell Tanji Banda Muholi and Bester Muholi and she is the last of 5 children. She completed an Advanced Photography course at the Market Photo Workshop in Newtown, JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in 2003, and held her first solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery
Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens...
in 2004. In 2009 she was awarded her Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in Documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
Media
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
from Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Her thesis mapped the visual history of black lesbian identity and politics in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Career
Muholi was employed as a photographer and reporter for Behind the Mask, an online magazine on LGBTI issues in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. In 2002, she co-founded the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), a black lesbian organization dedicated to providing a safe space for women to meet and organize. She researched and documented the stories of hate crimes against the gay community in order to bring forth the realities of “curative rape”, assault, and HIV/AIDS, to public attention.
Muholi launched her visual activism through her first solo exhibition entitled 'Visual Sexuality: Only Half the Picture', at the Johannesburg Art Gallery
Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens...
in 2004. Her work is mostly about bringing visibility of queers in the black community. She has exhibited at the CCA Lagos in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, the Kunsthalle Wien Project Space in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Michael Stevenson
Michael Stevenson
Michael Stevenson is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University. He retired on August 31, 2010, and was subsequently succeeded by Andrew Petter on September 1, 2010...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Le Case d’Arte in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Fred Mann
Fred Mann
Fred J. Mann was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball for six seasons, and played for five different teams. He was born in Sutton, Vermont and died at the age of 58 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in Springfield.-External links:...
in London, and as part of the Afrovibes Festival in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
Her recent group exhibitions include: ...for those who live in it: Pop Culture, Politics and Strong Voices at MU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(2010); Bamako in Toronto, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(2010); Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities at Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, USA (2009); and Life Less Ordinary: Performance and Display in South African Art at Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, UK (2009). She has been selected for the São Paulo Biennial in the fall of 2010.
Solo Exhibitions
| 2010 | Indawo Yami, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town |
| 2009 | Faces and Phases, Brodie/Stevenson, Johannesburg Like a Virgin (two-person exhibition), CCA Lagos, Nigeria |
| 2007 | Being, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town |
| 2006 | Vienna Kunsthalle project space, Vienna Only half the picture, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town Only half the picture, Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg Only half the picture, Galerie 32-34, Amsterdam SoWhereTo Now, Afrovibes and Galeries 32-34, Amsterdam |
| 2004 | Visual Sexuality, as part of Urban Life (Market Photo Workshop exhibition), Johannesburg Art Gallery |
Selected Group Exhibitions
| 2010 | ...for those who live in it: Pop culture, politics and strong voices, MU Eindhoven, The Netherlands |
| 2009 | Les Rencontres de Bamako Biennial of African Photography, Mali |
| 2008 | Summer 2008/9: Projects, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town |
| 2007 | Summer 2007/8, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town |
| 2006 | South African Art Now, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town |
| 2005 | Erotic Blenders, Toronto, Canada |
| 2004 | Women Arts Festival: Is Everybody Comfortable? (Market Photo Workshop exhibition), Museum Africa, Johannesburg |
| 2003 | Pride Women Arts Festival, Johannesburg |
| 2002 | Women Arts Festival, Pink Loerie Festival, Knysna |
Awards
Muholi received the 2005 Tollman Award for the Visual Arts, the BHP Billiton/Wits University Visual Arts Fellowship in 2006, a 2009 Thami Mnyele Residency in Amsterdam, and was the 2009 Ida Ely Rubin Artist-in-Residence at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in the United States. She won the Casa Africa award for best female photographer and a Fondation Blachère award at the Rencontres de Bamako biennial of African photography in 2009, and received a Fanny Ann Eddy accolade from IRN-Africa for her outstanding contributions to the study of sexuality in Africa.
Controversy
In August 2009, Minister of Arts and Culture, Lulu XingwanaLulama Xingwana
Lulama "Lulu" Marytheresa Xingwana is a South African politician, serving as Minister of Arts and Culture from May 2009 to October 2010...
walked out off an exhibition that featured Muholi’s photography, calling it immoral, offensive and going against nation-building
Nation-building
For nation-building in the sense of enhancing the capacity of state institutions, building state-society relations, and also external interventions see State-building....
. In her response Muholi expressed her sentiments by saying; "It's paralysing. I expected people to think before they act, and to ask questions. I wanted to create dialogue"