The much-anticipated second volume in Zanele Muholi’s celebrated self-portrait series, Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, has arrived, continuing the powerful exploration of identity, race, and resistance that has earned widespread acclaim. The first volume of this groundbreaking series won the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation award for Best Photography Book, and the follow-up promises to be just as impactful.
In Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Volume II, Muholi delves deeper into the themes of personhood, queerness, and blackness, presenting a series of self-portraits that push the boundaries of self-representation. Since the publication of the first volume in 2018, Muholi has expanded their work to include new international locations, using the material props found in each environment to explore the nuances of Black identity in today’s global society. These images speak powerfully in response to both contemporary and historical racisms, making a bold statement about the politics of race and the visual archive.
Renée Mussai, curator and historian, has brought together written contributions from more than ten curators, poets, and authors for this volume, creating a poetic and experimental framework that extends the ideas of speculative futures and multivalent selves. Muholi’s work, described as a “visual activist” practice, continues to confront the politics of race and representation with the same intensity and purpose that has characterized their career.
The Somnyama Ngonyama series, in which Muholi uses their body as a canvas to challenge and resist racial and gender norms, has been widely exhibited at major museums and galleries worldwide, including TATE Modern in London, the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African and African American Art at Harvard University, the Seattle Art Museum, Autograph ABP in London, and the Venice Biennale. This second volume, comprising 172 pages, is available in English and published by Aperture, further amplifying Muholi’s expressive and radical manifesto.
As with the first volume, Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Volume II continues to be a vital contribution to the ongoing conversation around Black resistance and existence, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant exploration of identity and empowerment.
Featured Image: Bangizwenkosi, The Sails, Durban, 2019.
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