Zanele Muholi

Zanele Muholi, born in 1972, is a South African photographer and visual activist who uses her art as a tool to fight social injustices, particularly telling the stories of victims of homophobic and racial discrimination within the LGBTQI+ community in post-apartheid South Africa. Through her predominantly black-and-white photographs, Muholi documents a complex and often painful reality, characterized by violence that includes "corrective rapes" and murders, bringing to light the raw truth of a society still deeply marked by discrimination. Muholi's works do not simply portray victims, but give them voice and strength. The figures she captures appear courageous, with intense gazes that pierce through the lens, inviting the viewer to confront their own biases and reflect on the human condition. These women, depicted without fear, embody visible resistance against violence and marginalization, reaffirming their dignity and identity in a hostile social context.

In Labo I (2019), Muholi portrays herself in a self-portrait that challenges and deconstructs gender and racial stereotypes. In this image, the artist appears with extremely dark skin, emphasized by a strong contrast with the background, almost as if to reaffirm the presence of the Black subject as a symbol of resistance and personal assertion. Labo I is part of a broader series of self-portraits that Muholi describes as a means to document and give visibility to her own experience and existence in a world that often denies visibility and recognition to Black and LGBTQI+ people. Through her artistic practice, Muholi not only documents but also openly denounces violence and discrimination. Her photographs challenge the traditional gaze of the viewer, forcing them to see and acknowledge what is often ignored or hidden. Her works celebrate the existence of Black LGBTQI+ people, promoting a sense of belonging and pride within a community that fights daily against invisibility and marginalization.

Muholi has stated that her mission is to create a broader and more inclusive representation of Black and queer identities, using photography as a means to educate, raise awareness, and ultimately change public perception. Through her portraits, Muholi offers a new and powerful insight into the lives, joys, struggles, and hopes of those often left on the margins of society.