South Africa’s most celebrated queer visual artist, Zanele Muholi, will present a major new solo exhibition in Cape Town this month, bringing together more than two decades of powerful work documenting and celebrating Black LGBTQIA+ lives.
Opening at Southern Guild Cape Town on 18 July 2026, Kanye Nawe (“with you”, “alongside you”, or “oneness” in isiZulu) will occupy the gallery’s entire exhibition space and run until 10 September 2026.
A Celebration of Visibility and Collective Memory
The exhibition traces Muholi’s enduring commitment to visibility, memory and collective care through a wide-ranging selection of photographs and sculptures spanning more than 20 years of artistic practice.
Visitors will experience landmark works from the internationally acclaimed Faces and Phases series, alongside photographs from Only Half the Picture, Being, Mo(u)rning, LiZa, and ZaVa, as well as new additions to Muholi’s ongoing self-portrait project, Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness). The exhibition also features recent large-scale bronze sculptures.
The title, Kanye Nawe, reflects the philosophy of shared presence that has long guided Muholi’s work, documenting, preserving and celebrating Black LGBTQIA+ lives while challenging their historical erasure.
Marking Significant Milestones
The exhibition coincides with several important anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of Faces and Phases, the 20th anniversary of South Africa’s Civil Union Act, which legalised same-sex marriage, and the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s Constitution.
It also follows Muholi’s recent recognition as the 2026 Hasselblad Award Laureate, one of the world’s most prestigious honours in photography.
A Living Archive of Black Queer Lives
Faces and Phases is widely regarded as one of the world’s most significant visual archives of Black LGBTQIA+ lives.
Muholi began the series in South Africa in 2006 in response to the violence and hate crimes experienced by Black queer communities. Since then, the project has expanded internationally, with portraits taken in cities including London, Porto, Panama City, Los Angeles, Salvador, São Paulo, Venice and Rio de Janeiro.
The exhibition also explores themes of intimacy, love and vulnerability through works from Only Half the Picture, Being, Mo(u)rning, LiZa, and ZaVa, portraying queer relationships as spaces of care, solidarity and mutual recognition.
Self-Portraits and Sculptures Explore Identity and Survival
Muholi’s celebrated Somnyama Ngonyama series uses the artist’s own body to examine and reclaim histories of race, labour, gender and sexuality. The exhibition includes recent self-portraits created in Cape Town, Paternoster, London, Los Angeles, Panama City, Rio de Janeiro and Venice.
Completing the exhibition are three monumental bronze sculptures that extend Muholi’s exploration of memory, spirituality, ancestry and survival into three dimensions.
Together, the works reaffirm Muholi’s lifelong commitment to bearing witness, honouring dignity and ensuring that Black queer lives remain visible, remembered and celebrated.
Kanye Nawe runs from 18 July to 10 September 2026 at the at Southern Guild in Cape Town.
