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Zanele Muholi — Tanji II, Oslo
Zanele Muholi

Tanji II, Oslo

2018

Tanji II, Oslo (2018) is a striking self-portrait by South African visual activist Zanele Muholi, rendered in the artist's characteristic high-contrast black and white palette. Printed on baryta paper and mounted on Dibond, the work belongs to Muholi's landmark ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama, meaning "Hail the Dark Lioness" in isiZulu, in which the artist systematically darkens their own skin tone to foreground and reclaim Black identity against histories of erasure and misrepresentation. The result is an image of extraordinary presence, where the amplified depth of tone transforms each portrait into something simultaneously intimate and monumental. In this Oslo iteration, Muholi continues the series' practice of incorporating found materials from each location of creation, embedding the work's making into its meaning. The gaze directed at the viewer is unflinching, performing both an act of defiance and an assertion of self-determination. By positioning themselves as both subject and author, Muholi challenges the colonial legacies embedded in photographic representation, insisting on the right to define one's own image rather than be defined by another's lens. Presented framed at 49.6 by 39 centimetres, the work is offered through Southern Guild and represents a significant opportunity to acquire a piece from one of contemporary photography's most consequential bodies of work. Muholi's practice has attracted sustained institutional attention globally, with Somnyama Ngonyama held in major museum collections and the subject of a landmark retrospective at Tate Modern in 2020. This scale invites close, considered looking, rewarding the collector who values works that carry both aesthetic power and genuine intellectual weight.

Medium
Baryta print mounted on Dibond
Overall
Framed
Location
Southern Guild, Cape Town, Western Cape

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About this work

Zanele Muholi, Tanji II, Oslo, 2018

Tanji II, Oslo (2018) is a striking self-portrait by South African visual activist Zanele Muholi, rendered in the artist's characteristic high-contrast black and white palette. Printed on baryta paper and mounted on Dibond, the work belongs to Muholi's landmark ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama, meaning "Hail the Dark Lioness" in isiZulu, in which the artist systematically darkens their own skin tone to foreground and reclaim Black identity against histories of erasure and misrepresentation. The result is an image of extraordinary presence, where the amplified depth of tone transforms each portrait into something simultaneously intimate and monumental. In this Oslo iteration, Muholi continues the series' practice of incorporating found materials from each location of creation, embedding the work's making into its meaning. The gaze directed at the viewer is unflinching, performing both an act of defiance and an assertion of self-determination. By positioning themselves as both subject and author, Muholi challenges the colonial legacies embedded in photographic representation, insisting on the right to define one's own image rather than be defined by another's lens. Presented framed at 49.6 by 39 centimetres, the work is offered through Southern Guild and represents a significant opportunity to acquire a piece from one of contemporary photography's most consequential bodies of work. Muholi's practice has attracted sustained institutional attention globally, with Somnyama Ngonyama held in major museum collections and the subject of a landmark retrospective at Tate Modern in 2020. This scale invites close, considered looking, rewarding the collector who values works that carry both aesthetic power and genuine intellectual weight.

Medium
Baryta print mounted on Dibond
Dimensions
overall: 49.6 x 39 cm • framed: 52 x 41.5 x 5.5 cm
Year
2018
Seen at
Southern Guild, Cape Town, Western Cape

Related themes

Fine Art Print, LGBTQ Representation, South African Art, Contemporary Photography, LGBTQ+ Artist, Black And White, Identity Politics, Portrait Photography, Activist Art

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