health
March 13, 2026
South African photographer Zanele Muholi: ‘My mother worked for a white family. I remember the pools I wasn’t allowed to swim in’
The artist has spent three decades changing the face of African art, and has just won the prestigious Hasselblad award. But they say the win isn’t about them – it’s for under-represented people still living with the echoes of Apartheid
TL;DR
- Zanele Muholi, a non-binary South African artist, has won the 2026 Hasselblad award.
- Muholi sees the award as recognition for the Black LGBTQIA+ community in Africa, not a personal win.
- Their work spans nearly 30 years, focusing on documenting, empowering, and educating their community.
- Muholi's upbringing during apartheid, marked by segregation and systemic inequalities, influences their art.
- Key series include 'Faces and Phases,' documenting queer community professionals, and 'Somnyama Ngonyama,' a series of self-portraits exploring identity and challenging beauty conventions.
- Muholi uses their photography as a 'weapon' and a responsibility to address injustice and reframe representations of Black people and culture.
- The artist's work will be exhibited at the Hasselblad Center in Gothenburg from October 10th.
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