Zanele Muholi

In their work, Zanele Muholi, a visual activist and artist from South Africa, portrays the lives and experiences of Black LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Agender, Asexual) individuals from their home country and elsewhere in the world. Through the medium of photography, Muholi has dedicated themself to making frequently under-represented or misunderstood communities visible, exposing the social and political injustices they are subjected to. With a body of work that leaves an indelible impact, they are undoubtedly one of the most admired artists working today, having taken part in countless solo and group exhibitions, including celebrated biennales such as Venice and Sydney. By placing the lives of Black and LGBTQIA+ communities front and centre in their artistic practice, Muholi transcends the simple visual or documentary record — the fact is, their work questions, inspires and demands we make room for these communities, as they well deserve, in the global panorama of the arts and in society. In addition to portraying their struggles and resilience, Muholi’s self-portraits explore questions of race and the power of the Black gaze, with the ‘Somnyama Ngonyama’ (Hail the Dark Lioness) series in particular catapulting their oeuvre to international recognition.

The exhibition, laid out in chronological order and according to thematic focus, follows Muholi’s path since embracing activism in the early 2000s until the present day. With more than 200 photographs, this represents the largest retrospective of their career so far, and also serves to introduce Portuguese audiences to their work. Besides offering a broad overview of Muholi’s practice, the exhibition revisits key moments in the history of South Africa, from the dark years of Apartheid to the continuing struggle for equality and human rights. In Portugal, where our colonial legacy continues to be profoundly ingrained in society, this exhibition offers us a unique opportunity to reflect critically on the historical and cultural implications of discrimination and oppression, while reminding us of the urgent need to debate issues such as gender and cultural identity, collective memory and social justice.

Muholi was born in 1972 and raised under the Apartheid regime, a political and social system that guaranteed white minority rule over the Black majority. Formally made law by the National Party in 1948, racial segregation was compounded by discrimination according to gender and sexual orientation. While Apartheid officially ended in 1994 with the transition to democracy led by Nelson Mandela, and was followed in 1996 by the passing of a new Constitution prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, the South African LGBTQIA+ community continues to be a victim of prejudice, hate crime and repeated violence.

Muholi’s work lays bare structural and historical injustices, while simultaneously celebrating the courage, joy and resilience of the communities being portrayed. Their images capture moments of great intimacy and the ties that bind and foster solidarity among these people in their shared struggle. In 2020, the artist broadened their artistic practice to include sculpture — creating a number of large-scale works in bronze — through which other kinds of relationships are explored, namely between the public and private space.

This exhibition, coordinated by Tate Modern, has been presented in prestigious institutions such as Gropius Bau in Berlin; the Bildmuseet in Umeå; the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern in Valencia; and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. Now, its final stop is the Museu de Serralves. Its adaptation to this Porto institution – which, it should be noted, includes a selection of new photographs – was helmed by Inês Grosso, curator-in-chief and Filipa Loureiro, curator, in collaboration with architecture studio Ventura Trindade and production coordination by Giovana Gabriel. The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of talks, which will be announced on the museum’s website, exploring the artist’s work in greater depth and how it reflects upon Portuguese society. To this end, the Serralves Museum has also collaborated with local organizations, including ILGA and Casa Odara, to develop a diverse range of public programs that will complement the exhibition.

Lastly, it bears mentioning that in 2023, Serralves Museum acquired one of Muholi’s photographic murals, which was shown to the public for the first time at the inauguration of the Álvaro Siza Wing. This acquisition, more than just another addition to the collection, demonstrates the museum’s commitment to not only their work, eminently reconcilable with the institution’s programming of the last few years, but also the social and cultural issues raised therein. Zanele Muholi is a singular voice in contemporary art and social activism. Their work actively engages with prejudice and discrimination, inviting us to reflect on the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable society. We hope this exhibition also inspires fresh perspectives and much-needed dialogue on such matters as equality, resistance and our own humanity.