The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is proud to present the first major exhibition on the West Coast featuring the works of South African artist Zanele Muholi. Titled “Zanele Muholi: Eye Me,” this exhibition showcases over 100 photographs, alongside paintings, sculpture, and video, spanning from 2002 to the present.
The exhibition begins with Zanele’s early photographic series, “Only Half the Picture” (2002–2006), which emerged from their involvement with the Forum for the Empowerment of Women. This series documents survivour’s of hate crimes against the queer community in South African townships.
Muholi’s ongoing series, “Being” (2006-present), portrays everyday moments shared by Black queer couples. Growing up, Muholi had no examples of such relationships, making this series a positive and joyful representation of queer love.
In the series “Brave Beauties” (2014-ongoing), Muholi challenges a culture that discriminates against the LGBTQ+ community. These photographs feature empowered trans women, gender non-conforming, and non-binary individuals. Inspired by magazine culture, the participants have agency in their own self-fashioning, reclaiming their identities.
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Each photograph is a traditional black-and-white portrait, where the sitter chooses their own pose, setting, and dress. SFMOMA will showcase 36 works from this significant series, which now comprises over 500 portraits. Accompanied by video interviews with the participants, this collective portrait gives voice to Muholi’s community and their individual stories.
In the series “Somnyama Ngonyama” (2012-present), Muholi turns the camera on themself, exploring self-portraiture. These deeply personal and political photographs feature Muholi taking on different personas and archetypes, using everyday objects as props and attire that reference South African sociopolitical history, contemporary culture, and personal events.
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The exhibition also includes the 2010 documentary film “Difficult Love,” co-directed by Zanele Muholi and Peter Goldsmid. Through interviews with Muholi, friends, and colleagues, this highly personal and intimate film sheds light on the experiences of Black lesbians in South Africa.
