The Glasgow School of Art

Somnyama Ngonyama: Hail the Dark Lioness
Zanele Muholi

11 November - 17 December 2017
Preview: Friday, 10 November, 5-7pm
Reid Gallery, The Glasgow School of Art

Presented by Autograph ABP in partnership with The Glasgow School of Art, South African visual activist Zanele Muholi (b. 1972) confronts the politics of race and representation in the visual archive in her ongoing self-portrait series Somnyama Ngonyama.

Taken primarily in Europe, North America and Africa between 2014 and 2016, each portrait in Somnyama Ngonyama - isiZulu for Hail the Dark Lioness - poses critical questions about social justice, human rights and contested representations of the black body. Muholi's self-reflective, and psychologically charged portraits are unapologetic in their artistry as she explores different archetypes / personae and offers visual reflections inspired by personal experiences and socio-political events. Gazing defiantly at the camera, Muholi continually challenges the viewer's perceptions while firmly asserting [her] cultural identity on her own terms. 

"I'm reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other. My reality is that I do not mimic being black; it is my skin, and the experience of being black is deeply entrenched in me. Just like our ancestors, we live as black people 365 days a year, and we should speak without fear." -Zanele Muholi

The exhibition features four new portraits, commissioned by Autograph ABP, that highlight the plight of women in the struggle for freedom [of movement] and equality under Apartheid. 

The exhibition is curated by Renée Mussai, Senior Curator, Artistic Programmes & Head of Archive and Research at Autograph ABP.