Zanele Muholi
South African artist and visual activist
Zanele Muholi(born 19 July 1972) is a South African artist and visual activist working in photography, video, and installation. Muholi's work focuses on race, gender and sexuality with a body of work that dates back to the early 2000's, documenting and celebrating the lives of South Africa's Black lesbian, gay, transgender, and intersex communities. Muholi is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, explaining that "I'm just human."
Quotes
edit- I cannot give up myself and my soul simply because I need some exposure.
- If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.
- Fine artists deal with finery, but I deal with painful material.
- It is personal issues that makes me do what I do, for I have been raped more than 50 times by just listening to what women who have confessed and confirmed their love for other women have been through.
- But the fact that we have one of the most advanced constitutions has had little impact on mindsets in townships. Members of our community are celebrating the constitution, but it is very different in the society.
- It is being both black and gay which is problematic.
- They should hold workshops on the constitution in all the townships - people are not aware of our rights and needs.