Sir Zanele Muholi Book Somnyama Ngonyama Wins The Kraszna-Krausz Book Award in London

 Prof. Sir. Zanele Muholi receiving The Kraszna-Krausz award in London  

Image: Lerato Dumse

“I’m reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other." 

- Prof. Sir Zanele Muholi 

Visual activist Sir Zanele Muholi’s photography book Somnyama Ngonyama: Hail the Dark Lioness has bagged another major international award. The book won the Kraszna-Krausz best photography book award at an event held at the Royal Society of Arts in London last week. 

After being announced the winner, Muholi said: “I’m reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other. I want to thank our publisher and all the writers and contributors who made it possible for this reality... siyabonga zihlobo (I thank you friends).”

Sir Brian Pomeroy, Chairman of the Kraszna Krausz Foundation also congratulated Muholi for having won this prestigious award and this is what he had to say: “Due to the high calibre of entries for the 2019 prize, our judges faced an extremely difficult decision. We congratulate Zanele Muholi and Jane Giles on maintaining the highest standards for books of photography and the moving image.” 

Muholi's win at the Kraszna-Kraszna happened a week after Muholi was honoured by Amref in New York City at a the Art Ball charity gala with the Rees Visionary Award and Muholi's book has also won the Aperture Book Publisher of the Year at the 2018 Lucie Awards for achievements in photography.

Somnyama Ngonyama features self-portraits that explore Muholi’s own image and possibilities as a black woman in today’s global society, and - most important - to speak emphatically in response to contemporary and historical racisms.

“I am producing this photographic document to encourage people to be brave enough to occupy spaces without fear of being vilified ... to teach people about our history, to reclaim it and encourage people to use artistic tools as weapons to fight back”, Muholi said after the book was released.

The Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards are the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image. 

Bester I, Mayotte - 2015

ABOUT Prof. Sir. ZANELE MUHOLI 

  

Prof. Sir. Zanele Muholi is a South African visual activist and photographer. 

Through years of documentation, archiving and photographing mainly members of the LGBTQIA+ Muholi has formed many relationships with photographed participants featuring in Faces and Phases, Brave Beauties, Beaulahs amongst other projects. When not photographing others Muholi has produced self-portraits a series titled: Somnyama Ngonyama, which was published by Aperture in 2018      

The activism that drives Muholi’s work has led the philanthropist to continue expanding mobile projects under Inkanyiso (www.inkanyiso.org), which they founded in 2009, as a forum for queer and visual (activists) media. 

In 2018 Women’s Mobile Museum was successfully launched in Philadelphia USA. The Mobile School of Photography was launched in Durban, December 2018 and Muholi plans to reach out to 25 schools by end of 2019 to mark 25 years of Democracy. Muholi returned to Umbelebele High School and Market Photo Workshop in 2019, as an alumni involved in educational programs. These projects are an extension of Muholi's Photo Experience (Photo XP) trainings, which dates back to 2004. Photo XP has resulted in Muholi conducting photography workshops in multiple South African communities, neighbouring Lesotho, Benin, Zimbabwe including Europe in Italy and Norway. The Mobile Mentorship and Cultural Exchange Program has seen Muholi travel with various participants and collaborators locally and to international exhibitions, residencies, art fairs and workshops.  

In 2002 they co-founded the Forum for Empowerment of Women (FEW).

Muholi’s self-proclaimed mission is ‘to re-write a black queer and trans visual history of South Africa for the world to know of our resistance and existence at the height of hate crimes in SA and beyond’. 

    

In 2003 Muholi studied Advanced Photography at the Market Photo Workshop in Newtown, Johannesburg. In 2009 completed an MFA: Documentary Media at Ryerson University, Toronto. In 2018 Royal Photographic Society in London awarded Muholi an honorary fellowship. 

Muholi is also an Honorary Professor at the University of the Arts/Hochschule für Künste Bremen, Germany and has won numerous awards including Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from France Embassy (2017); the ICP Infinity Award for Documentary and Photojournalism (2016); Africa’S Out! Courage and Creativity Award (2016); the Outstanding International Alumni Award from Ryerson University (2016); was named as Prince Claus Foundation Laureate in 2013.

Exhibitions include: 

Somnyama Ngonyama at Autograph ABP, London (2017/8 traveling show); Performa, NYC (2017); 

Zanele Muholi Homecoming: Durban Art Gallery (2017); 

Faces and Phases 11 at Market Workshop, Johannesburg (2017); 

Systematically Personae at the FotoFocus Biennal, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (2016). 

Faces and Phases series shown at the South African Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy (2013); 

dOCUMENTA 13, Germany (2012). 

  

Muholi’s publications are:

Somnyama Ngonyama (Aperture 2018)

Faces and Phases 2006-14 (Steidl/The Walther Collection)

Zanele Muholi: African Women Photographers #1 (Casa Africa and La Fábrica, 2011)

Faces and Phases (Prestel, 2010) 

Only half the Picture (Stevenson, 2006).