Hlengiwe, Paris

Currently not on view

Hlengiwe, Paris

2014

Zanele Muholi (South African, born 1972)

This photograph is part of a series of more than eighty self-portraits in which the visual activist Zanele Muholi explored identity, challenged stereotypes, and inspired resistance. Made in improvised settings around the world, the works often incorporate everyday objects—such as cowrie shells, electrical cords, and latex gloves—that prompt questions about sexual politics, social justice, and the representation of Blackness and queerness. Muholi also used heightened contrast to emphasize their Blackness in these self-portraits—a subtle but pointed way of calling attention to notions of beauty and desire, as well as the cultural forces that shape these concepts. Through the series, Muholi not only challenged political histories and social realities but also found inventive and moving ways to reclaim them for themself.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Hlengiwe, Paris
From the series Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail, the Dark Lioness)

Date:

2014

Artist:

Zanele Muholi (South African, born 1972)

Medium:

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions:

Image/Sheet/Mount: 31 1/4 × 20 3/4 inches (79.4 × 52.7 cm)

Classification:

Photographs

Credit Line:

Purchased with funds contributed by Focus: Friends of Photography, 2016

Accession Number:

2016-34-2

Geography:

Photograph taken in Paris, France, Europe

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Currently not on view