Approaching photography from a place of visual activism, Johannesburg-based artist Zanele Muholi (b. 1972) — whose preferred pronoun is they — gives visibility to people who often appear in mass media solely through the lens of tragedy. The activist’s striking black-and-white images of Black LGBTQI+ individuals in South Africa help provide an overlooked and stigmatized community a space to freely assert identity and beauty.
Born in Umlazi, South Africa, Muholi studied at the Market Photo Workshop in Newtown, South Africa, and earned an MFA in documentary media at Ryerson University in Toronto. An early series, Only Half the Picture (2003–6), engages with the violent hate crimes against Black LGBTQI+ people in South Africa, portraying the survivors not through their status as victims but by celebrating their dignity and courage. This effort to challenge stereotypes and utilize photography as a platform for self-representation has defined Muholi’s practice. In the ongoing Being series, began in 2007, Muholi illuminates the intimate lives of Black queer couples, while Faces and Phases, started a year earlier, now has hundreds of portraits of Black lesbian and transgender individuals as a living archive.
Other works have concentrated on public spaces that are important sites of South African history, elevating queer bodies as part of this heritage. In a 2012–18 series Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Muholi shifted to self-portraiture, adorning themself with various found objects, from cowrie shells to cable ties, to confront both the exoticization of African people and a legacy of brutal subjugation. A major survey show that opened at the Tate Modern in 2020 recognized Muholi’s impact as an activist and an artist.
Alongside these works raising awareness for LGBTQI+ stories, Muholi has strived toward community advocacy through initiatives such as the cofounding of the Forum for Empowerment of Women (FEW) in 2002 to support Black lesbians in South Africa and Inkanyiso to promote queer activist media, established by Muholi in 2009.
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Mhlazana, ISGM, Boston
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Muholi is a South African visual activist and photographer. Muholi’s self-proclaimed mission is "to re-write a black queer and trans visual history of South Africa for the world to k...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Zibandlela VI, III, and II, The Sails, Durban
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Muholi is a South African visual activist and photographer. Muholi’s self-proclaimed mission is "to re-write a black queer and trans visual history of South Africa for the world to k...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 8 in W 10 in
Vintage Signed Silver Gelatin Photograph Portrait Print of Anthony Haden Guest
By Gerard Malanga
Located in Surfside, FL
Gerard Joseph Malanga (born March 20, 1943) is an American poet, photographer, filmmaker, curator and archivist. Malanga was born in the Bronx in 1943, the only child of Italian immi...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 10 in W 8 in
Vintage Signed Silver Gelatin Photograph Portrait Print of Anthony Haden Guest
By Gerard Malanga
Located in Surfside, FL
Gerard Joseph Malanga (born March 20, 1943) is an American poet, photographer, filmmaker, curator and archivist. Malanga was born in the Bronx in 1943, the only child of Italian immi...
Silver Gelatin
Couple in MG, Florence, Italy
By Ruth Orkin
Located in Denton, TX
No Edition Blind stamp on print margin. Signed by Estate, titled, dated and copyright date in pencil on artist stamp. Paper size: 16 x 20 in. Ruth Orkin (1921 - 1985) was an America...
Silver Gelatin
Three Generations, Third Ward, Houston, TX
By Earlie Hudnall Jr.
Located in Denton, TX
No edition Silver gelatin print Paper size: 20 x 16 in. Image size: 19 x 15 in. Signed, and titled in pencil on verso by Earlie Hudnall Earlie Hudnall, who is one of the most notable African American photographers living today, has extensively documented the African American neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. After serving as a Marine in Vietnam, he enrolled at Texas Southern University, where he studied art under the direction of John Biggers, who became a great friend and mentor. During his time at TSU, he was hired to be a photographer for the Model Cities Program, part of Lyndon Johnson...
Silver Gelatin
Just Like Me
By Earlie Hudnall Jr.
Located in Denton, TX
Signed and titled. Paper size: 20 x 16 in. Image size: 19 x 13 3/4 in. Earlie Hudnall, who is one of the most notable African American photographers living today, has extensively...
Silver Gelatin
$1,764
H 10.01 in W 8.12 in D 0.02 in
Ruth Ford - American actress and model - Original Photography by Cecil Beaton
By Cecil Beaton
Located in Cologne, DE
Ruth Ford - American actress and model - Original Photography by Cecil Beaton Photo taken in 1940s Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) is considered one of the mo...
Silver Gelatin
$1,408
H 7.45 in W 9.89 in D 0.01 in
John Lennon, Guitar, Black and White Photography, 1970s, 18, 9 x 25, 1 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$1,695
H 29.25 in W 25.5 in
Francesco Scavullo Celebrity Photography Print, 1969, Framed, Janis Joplin
By Francesco Scavullo
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Francesco Scavullo (after) Title: Janis Joplin, 1969 Portfolio: A Photographic Retrospective, Volume I: Song Medium: Gelatin Silver Print Year: 2004 Edition: 106/150 Signed: ...
Silver Gelatin
$30,000
H 34 in W 24 in
Terry O'Neill 'Brigitte Bardot Hands On Hips, 1971'
By Terry O'Neill
Located in New York, NY
Brigitte Bardot, Hands on Hips 1971 Silver gelatin print 34 x 24 inches Co-signed and numbered edition of 50 with certificate of authenticity from the O'Neilll estate. Brigitte Ba...
Silver Gelatin
Edward Weston & Margrethe 4
By Imogen Cunningham
Located in Carmel, CA
Rondal Partridge Silver Gelatin Estate Print Embossed Imogen Cunningham signature on mat, labeled on verso. Dry mounted outer dimensions 16x20"
Silver Gelatin
$4,600
H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in
All Kings were Boys, 3rd Ward, Houston, Texas by Earlie Hudnall, Jr.
By Earlie Hudnall Jr.
Located in Denton, TX
All Kings were Boys, 3rd Ward, Houston, Texas by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. depicts a portrait of a young boy with his arms crossed over his chest. Image size: 18 x 12.75 in. Paper size: 2...
Silver Gelatin
Father, Mother
By Sophie Calle
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sophie Calle (born 1953) is an internationally acclaimed French contemporary artist. Highly conceptual in her approach, Calle's projects often begin with material from her personal ...
Metal
Lerato Dumse, Syracuse, New York
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered in pencil, verso Archival pigment print (Edition of 50) 15 x 11 inches (38.1 x 27.9 cm), sheet 14 x 9.5 inches (35.6 x 24.1 cm), image This artwork is offered ...
Archival Pigment
Ntozakhe II, (Parktown)
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Somnyama Ngonyama (MaID)
Silver Gelatin
Zibuyile I (Syracuse)
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 8
Silver Gelatin
Vukani I (Paris)
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 8
Silver Gelatin
Thulani II (Parktown)
By Zanele Muholi
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 8.
Silver Gelatin