Jack Arts

Tate Modern: Zanele Muholi

Zanele Muholi returns in full force to Tate Modern after the doors to their original 2020 exhibition were closed prematurely due to the pandemic. The show returns with renewed power and vibrance, with the addition of new works completed over the past 4 years by one of the most acclaimed photographers working today. The exhibition presents over 260 works, exploring and celebrating South Africa’s black LGBT and township communities.

A selection of artworks from the retrospective hit the streets of London in citywide takeovers featuring self-portraits from the artists ongoing Somnyama Ngonyama series – translated as ‘Hail the Dark Lioness’ they use these reflective images to explore themes of labour, racism, and sexual politics. “The aim of my project is to speak about historical cases, confronting the politics of race and pigment in the photographic archive,” The resulting imagery resonates in poster format to the passing viewer – the arresting portraits tell their stories through styling and texture, paired with the bold white exhibition lettering making for a striking poster display.