Notes

The works of artist and visual activist Zanele Muholi are well known for their photographic depictions of black female sexuality and LGBTI bodies in South Africa. They have won multiple international accolades and have featured in major international museum exhibitions and biennales. The present lot is an example from the MuMu series, where all the images present Muholi in similar attire, but in varying positions and from different angles. The present lot is an evocative selfportrait, which takes on a formal, even regal quality, with the artist’s clothing and headgear occupying a large portion of the composition. The intensity of the eye contact highlights the innate power and potency of the self-portrait. Thelma Golden notes in the Somnyama Ngonyama: Hail the Dark Lioness catalogue that ‘Zanele Muholi’s work is deeply aligned with the endeavours of generations of artists to precisely define a sense of self against the narrow construction of race, gender, and identity.’