The Common Press is thrilled to host Zanele Muholi's photography book ‘Somnyama Ngonyama Hail the Dark Lioness, Volume II’ on Friday 11th October from 7 pm - 10 pm. This powerful collection is the continuation of Zanele Muholi’s celebrated self-portrait series. Muholi delves deeper into the exploration of Blackness identity, and the multiplicity of the self, using photography as a bold response to contemporary and historical racism. This stunning collection features striking imagery from international locations and is accompanied by contributions from renowned curators, poets, and authors, this volume, curated by Renée Mussai, expands the boundaries of visual activism.
Join Zanele Muholi and Renée Mussai, for a relaxed evening of profound and radical celebration of Black existence and resistance. It's a great opportunity to network and learn more about the photography book and future projects.
The book will be available for signing and for sale on the day. Tickets and profits from the event will be going towards supporting The Common Press Crowdfunding Campaign.
Zanele Muholi's current exhibition is at the Tate Modern until January 2025.
My practice as a visual activist looks at Black resistance—existence as well as insistence. —Zanele Muholi
This latest iteration of Somnyama Ngonyama is set to become a modern classic.—Aesthetica
About Zanele Muholi (They / Them)
Zanele Muholi is a South African visual activist, photographer, and humanitarian known for documenting the lives of Black LGBTQI communities. Born in Umlazi, Durban, and residing in Cape Town, Muholi studied photography in Johannesburg and earned an MFA in Documentary Media from Ryerson University in 2009. Their work focuses on celebrating Black queer identity and resisting discrimination. The ongoing project "Faces and Phases" captures portraits of Black lesbians and transgender folx, highlighting their existence amidst societal prejudice. In "Somnyama Ngonyama," Muholi uses self-portraits to reclaim Blackness and comment on South Africa’s political history.
Muholi has founded organizations supporting queer visibility and art education, including the Muholi Arts Institute and Inkanyiso. They have received numerous awards, including France’s Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Lucie Award for Humanitarian Photography. Muholi's work has been exhibited globally, including at Tate Modern, Venice Biennale, and Guggenheim New York.
About Renée Mussai (she / her)
Renée Mussai is a London-based independent curator, writer and scholar with a special interest in Black feminist and queer visual arts practices. Formerly Senior Curator at Autograph, her award-winning books include the artist monographs Lina Iris Viktor—Some Are Born to Endless Night (Autograph, 2020) and Zanele Muholi: Somnyama Ngonyama: Hail, the Dark Lioness (Aperture, 2018 / 2024); and the forthcoming volumes Eyes That Commit—A Visual Gathering (Prestel, 2025) and Black Chronicles—Photography, Race and Difference in Victorian Britain (Thames & Hudson / Autograph, 2025). She has curated more than thirty solo and group exhibitions during the past two decades, and lectures internationally on visual activism and curatorial care. In 2023 Mussai was co-curator for R/evolutions, the 14th edition of Photo Ireland, and Artistic Director of The Walther Collection. She is currently Senior Research Associate at VIAD, University of Johannesburg, and Associate Lecturer at University of the Arts London, as well as guest Curator at The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, USA.
Event information
- Doors open at 7 pm
- Speeches and discussion from 7:30 pm
- Network and mingle until 10 pm.
**Please note our wheelchair-accessible toilet isn't available due to some renovations.