'Zanele Muholi'
Renowned visual activist Zanele Muholi presents a powerful exhibition exploring identity, representation, and the Black Queer experience. Using photography, film, and sculpture, Muholi documents and celebrates LGBTQIA+ communities, challenging stereotypes and advocating for visibility and empowerment. SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd in Savannah, GA. Runs through July 6th, 2025.
This exhibition take places at SCAD Museum of Art at 601 Turner Blvd in Savannah, GA. Runs through July 6, 2025
Exhibition Description
Highlights include the acclaimed Somnyama Ngonyama series, where self-portraits transform everyday objects into striking symbols of resistance, alongside Brave Beauties and Faces and Phases, which honor trans and gender-nonconforming individuals through bold, affirming portraits. For over two decades, Zanele Muholi has used art as a form of activism, documenting the beauty, struggles, and resilience of Black LGBTQIA+ individuals in South Africa and beyond. This exhibition features selections from Somnyama Ngonyama, a striking self-portrait series where Muholi uses high-contrast black-and-white photography to challenge perceptions of race, gender, and cultural identity. Also included are works from Brave Beauties, which presents trans women and nonbinary people in empowered poses, and Faces and Phases, an ongoing archive of Black lesbians, gender-nonconforming individuals, and trans men. A newly unveiled selection of Somnyama Ngonyama images in lightbox format heightens the dramatic contrast between light and shadow. Through these works, Muholi redefines Black Queer representation, pushing back against erasure and stereotypes to celebrate identity, heritage, and self-determination.
Gallery
