Notes

Captured amidst the urban backdrop of New York City in 2016, Sasa, Bleecker stands as a captivating self-portrait within Somnyama Ngonyama series. Translating to ‘Hail the Dark Lioness’ in isiZulu, this series boldly reimagines conventional portraiture, challenging prevailing ideas surrounding race and representation. In this particular image, Zanele Muholi presents themselves in a strikingly stylised manner, locking eyes with the viewer under the stark illumination of a focused spotlight. The resulting portrait is both commanding and intimate, sparking contemplation on the intricacies of body politics.

Other examples from the edition can be found in the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) and the Embassy of Belgium, Pretoria collection.

The following text is inscribed on a label adhered to the reverse from ArtThrob’s collaboration with South African History Online (SAHO), written by Keely Shinners:

'August 2016:
Zanele Muholi largely draws inspiration from local South African black queer communities, including themself and their friends. Their work is informed by a long history of oppressive colonisation, which lays the structural foundation of how we imagine blackness, the female body, queer sexuality, and representation today. Their work is also informed by contemporary South African politics, a system that constitutionally protects the rights of queer people, but often fails to defend them from targeted violence.

Currently:
For the past few years, Muholi has largely turned the camera around on themself, practicing self- documentation in the form of portraiture and performance. An ongoing project, Somnyama Ngonyama finds the artist using self-portraiture as a
tool of intimacy, serving as commentary on contemporary political and cultural issues that affect black people in Africa and its diaspora.’

Provenance

ArtThrob Editions.

Private Collection, Cape Town.