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
Paul Newman and Lee Marvin (Signed)
By Terry O'Neill
Located in New York, NY
Ed. 45/50, signed by Terry O'Neill. Includes black frame. Terry O’Neill CBE is one of the world’s most collected photographers with work hanging in national art galleries and privat...
Silver Gelatin
Portrait of Miss N. (Evelyn Nesbit)
Located in Carmel, CA
Photogravure from Camera Work Issue #1 Great Condition Loose attached by tape - see pictures. Over matted. Was framed upon purchase in 80's
Silver Gelatin
Penny Marshall and Brian Ferry
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This work is unique. Stamped twice on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Art...
Silver Gelatin
$30,000
H 8 in W 10 in
Andy Warhol with Ronald Perelman at the Beverly Hills Hotel
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This work is unique. Stamped twice on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts inventory number written on verso and initialed Tim Hunt (“T.J.H.”). This is a unique work which comes with a Certificate of Provenance from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts issued by Christie’s, the acting registrar of The Foundation. Provenance: Estate of the Artist to The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to Hedges Projects...
Silver Gelatin
Carol Burnett
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This work is unique. Dated 'SEP 27 1978' on the reverse. Stamped twice on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy...
Silver Gelatin
Donald Sutherland
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This work is unique. Dated 'SEP 24 1982' on the reverse. Stamped twice on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy ...
Silver Gelatin
A Streetcar Named Desire
By Norman Parkinson
Located in New York, NY
Ed. of 21, estate-stamped unframed print with framing options available. Norman Parkinson was the preeminent fashion photographer in Great Britain from the late 1930s until his deat...
Silver Gelatin
$4,500
H 24.75 in W 20.75 in
'Tom Petty, New York, 1995' Gelatin Silver Print Celebrity Photograph
By Mark Seliger
Located in Toronto, ON
Taken is 1995 this monochromatic photograph of Tom Petty presents the musician in a contemplative pose. Seliger photographed Petty for a Rolling Stone cover then continued to work wi...
Silver Gelatin
$8,900
H 20 in W 24 in
Bruce Springsteen on the Sunset Strip, Los Angeles (Signed)
By Terry O'Neill
Located in New York, NY
Ed. 23/50, signed by Terry O'Neill. Includes black frame with white mat. Terry O’Neill CBE is one of the world’s most collected photographers with work hanging in national art galle...
Silver Gelatin
$24,000
H 8 in W 10 in
Andy Warhol Getting Cast of Face for the Lewis Allen "No Man Show" Robot
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This is a unique work taken in Andy Warhol's studio at his direction. In The Andy Warhol Diaries, there are several mentions of Lewis Allen in 1980 approaching Warhol about being on ...
Silver Gelatin
Hubert de Givenchy and Unidentified Woman
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This work is unique. Stamped twice on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Art...
Silver Gelatin
Halston Holding American Flag at Warhol's Montauk Estate
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This is a unique work. Dated 'Jul 6 1982' (on the reverse) and stamped on the reverse by both The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Andy ...
Silver Gelatin
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