Queer life in South Africa: Zanele Muholi's photography

Zanele Muholi, shown here in a self-portrait, celebrates the lives of the LGBTQ communities of South Africa through photography and other kinds of visual art. The language of Muholi's depictions of queer African identities builds on visual contrast, and also focuses on the explicit portrayal of acts of introspection.

Muholi's work is more than mere photography. It is an act of activism itself. Through art, Muholi highlights issues affecting the LGBTQ community in their country, where issues like so-called "corrective rape" and HIV/AIDS continue to affect the lives of thousands of South Africans. At the same time, Muholi's focus on beauty provides a contrast that could be interpreted as a sense of hope.

Identifying as non-binary, Muholi (who uses the pronouns they/them) regards the subjects depicted in their works simply "as a human being." Their exploration of the human condition often hints at the harsh realities of life in South Africa as a queer minority — such as suffering hate crimes. This is a deliberate juxtaposition to the aesthetic standards they also seek to present in their work.

Having grown up under apartheid during their youth, Muholi's deliberate blurring of social identities can be seen both as representative and contradictory of the "Rainbow Nation" concept that South Africa hopes to project. Race continues to be a major issue in their country, as the white minority still rules over the economy. Muholi's response is to simply mix things — and identities — up.

Muholi's portraiture of South African members of the LGBTQ community often conceals the subject's (biological) gender identity. This way, audiences can deliberate how they automatically react to an image — and what that might say about them. It also protects the identity of the queer subjects shown in their photographs, who despite legal protections on paper often have to live in hiding.

The depiction of lesbian couples in particular is often regarded as controversial in South Africa's black communities. Many people believe that women who love women can be "cured," while homosexual men are often rejected as lost causes. Muholi's efforts to share images of tenderness, care and love among women hits a sore nerve in South Africa.

Muholi's works have traveled around the globe, with exhibitions introducing them to audiences beyond Africa. Shows in London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Boston, Houston, and now Berlin have not only furthered their career as a visual artist but have also increased the reach of the message Muholi wants to share. In South Africa, Muholi is a permanent fixture at the Zeitz MOCAA museum in Cape Town.

Zanele Muholi continues to document the struggles of queer identities in South Africa. But in the meantime, they also succeed in injecting their subjects with universally understood aesthetics. This way, their art becomes accessible to a wide audience both at home and abroad. Muholi's photography can currently be seen at the Gropius Bau Museum in Berlin until March 13, 2022.