Southern Guild presents Kanye Nawe, a major solo exhibition by Zanele Muholi, bringing together more than two decades of the artist’s photographic, sculptural and moving-image practice. The exhibition surveys landmark bodies of work that have established Muholi as one of the most influential contemporary artists working today, while introducing new bronze sculptures and recent works from the acclaimed Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness) series.
The exhibition takes its title from the isiZulu phrase Kanye Nawe, meaning “with you”, “alongside you” or, more broadly, “oneness”. Rather than simply describing companionship, the phrase reflects a philosophy of shared presence that runs throughout Muholi’s work, where identity, memory and community are understood as collective experiences.
At the centre of the exhibition is Faces and Phases (2006–ongoing), Muholi’s ongoing portrait archive documenting the lives of Black LGBTQIA+ people. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the series began in 2006, the same year South Africa legalised same-sex marriage, and has since grown into one of the world’s most significant visual archives of Black Queer life. Through direct, carefully composed portraits, the project affirms the individuality, dignity and agency of more than 500 participants.
Kanye Nawe also includes works from Only Half the Picture, Muholi’s early photographic series that challenged incomplete narratives surrounding Black LGBTQIA+ experiences, alongside Being, ZaVa and Mo(u)rning, which explore intimacy, love, grief, family and enduring relationships. The exhibition is further expanded through new sculptural works and screenings of the award-winning documentary Difficult Love.
Together, these bodies of work reveal Muholi’s sustained commitment to visual activism while offering a broader reflection on belonging, resilience and the ways people come into being through their relationships with others.
Venue: Southern Guild
