“If I wait for someone else to validate my existence,” says the acclaimed South African photographer Zanele Muholi, “it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.” Muholi, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” is determined not to be shortchanged. Pointedly, in black and white, Muholi documents the beauty of their country’s often disregarded LGBTQIA+ communities. The portrait series “Brave Beauties,” for example, focuses on the non-binary winners of Miss Gay Beauty pageants. With more than 60 photographs, this exhibition explores Muholi’s career as a visual activist. —Elena Clavarino
The Arts Intel Report
Zanele Muholi: A Visual Activist
Zanele Muholi, Aphelile X, 2020.
When
June 7 – July 30, 2023
Where
Etc
Photo courtesy of Museo delle Culture