Artist Profile

Artist: Zanele Muholi

            In the video, Zanele Muholi artwork presents LGBTQI community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Queer and intersex). During apartheid, the Afrikaner National Party supported the ideology of separating racial groups until the creation of multiracial democracy that supported diversity, and equal human rights (Munro & ProQuest (Firm), 2012). People from different races could not form social integration, and they were treated differently. Black people could not live in cities, but they lived in tribal homelands.  After apartheid, discrimination was banned, and gays and lesbians were accommodated, and they received legal equality and freedom (Munro & ProQuest (Firm), 2012).The country developed democratic values, and gay people were recognized as citizens in South Africa.

              It is worth saying that there are some factors that motivated Muholi to engage in artwork. In other words, the purpose of visual expression is to communicate the sexual threats, sexual stigma, sexual violence, physical differences, discrimination and violence, and the social injustices that gay and lesbians experienced (Thomas, 2010). An important point to note that the different portraits represent pride, compassion, and hardships. Some portrait shows cultural domain images and other shows the Black pride, identity, and freedom from stigma and negativity (Thomas, 2010). In general, the portrait is beautiful since they represent sadness and joy. 

 The black and white portraits indicate the celebration of lesbian and transgender communities and their presence in the South African community. The images also offer an important lesson about racial classification, which results in racial segregation. The portraits play a significant role in preserving memorable records that future generation can use to understand the hate crimes in the transgender community and their struggle to create a community of being.  Today, gay and lesbians are recognized as a result of the power of images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Thomas, K. (2010). Zanele Muholi's intimate archive: photography and post-apartheid lesbian

lives. Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies, 11(4), 421-436.

 

Munro, B. M., & ProQuest (Firm). (2012). South Africa and the dream of love to come: Queer

sexuality and the struggle for freedom. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

 

 Video: Johannesburg. Season 9 Episode 1, Art21. Retrieved from: https://www.pbs.org/video/johannesburg-fjplbz/