Each day Zeitz MOCAA offers a short, 15-minutes tour of one object or one artist. This tour is designed for individuals who wish to gain an in-depth knowledge of contemporary art through regular short visits during their lunch break.
Today’s tour will focus on the installtion, Somnyama Ngonyama/Hail The Dark Lioness included in the exhibition, All Thing Being Equal… which introduces Zanele Muholi as she turns the camera on herself as she depicts various personas from different parts of the world in her signature style of black and white photography.
Muholi asserts that, “experimenting with different characters and archetypes, I have portrayed myself in highly stylised fashion using the performative and expressive language of theatre.” The visual language of this series of work contest the archive of photography and its relation to black, African women. Muholi engages with issues of race, politics and gender to form an alternative account of historical perceptions of the continent, including reference to a deeply personal history. “The black face and its details become the focal point, forcing the viewer to question their desire to gaze at images of my black figure. By exaggerating the darkness of my skin tone, I’m reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other,” Muholi further states. Thus, the exoticisation of the black, female body is interrogated through Muholi’s art and challenges the viewer to understood it from a self-conscious perspective.
This tour will be lead by an Assistant Curator. Curator-led audio-guide devices will be available. Maximum 30 persons per tour.
Meet in the Grand Hall area, near the reception desk.