Zanele Muholi: Connect the Dots

OVERVIEW

On the 8th of June 2023, Art School Africa hosted an exclusive dinner to honour and celebrate South African visual activist, Zanele Muholi. As part of the evening, an insightful discussion took place between Art School Africa’s founder, Julia Buchanan Swart, and the artist to gain further insight into their solo exhibition, ZANELE MUHOLI, which opened at Southern Guild (Cape Town) in June 2023, as well as the launch of their latest dot-to-dot book, and a limited edition homeware range created in collaboration with Gavin Rajah, who was the co-host of the evening.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Zanele Muholi is a South African visual activist and photographer well known for their focus on the black LGBTIQA+ community in South Africa. Their powerful portraits challenge societal norms of gender and sexuality, shedding light on the violence and discrimination faced by queer and trans individuals. Muholi’s work has earned numerous awards and international recognition, exhibited in renowned museums like Tate Modern, the Guggenheim, and the Stedelijk Museum. Their recent retrospective, held at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (May 2023), made history by setting a groundbreaking milestone for LGBTIQA+ exhibitions in France, attracting a total of 80,000 visitors. Their solo exhibition, ZANELE MUHOLI, showcases their evolution from photography to a multidisciplinary practice that includes sculpture and installation.