Kanye Nawe celebrates two decades of Zanele Muholi’s art at Southern Guild

Southern Guild presents Kanye Nawe, a solo exhibition by South African artist and visual activist Zanele Muholi at its Cape Town gallery, on view from July 18  – September 10, 2026, with works spanning two decades of her artistic practice. The art exhibition brings together photographs and sculptures that “trace Muholi's ongoing commitment to visibility, memory and collective care”, Southern Guild notes in the show's description.

Kanye Nawe, meaning ‘with you’, ‘alongside you’ or ‘oneness’ in isiZulu, reflects a philosophy of shared presence that has shaped the contemporary artist’s commitment to documenting, preserving and celebrating Black LGBTQIA+ lives. “Opening shortly after Faces and Phases 20, an independent presentation held during the 61st Venice Biennale, the showcase coincides with various personal and historical anniversaries that have shaped the trajectory of Muholi’s practice. Among them are 20 years since the inception of Faces and Phases (2006–ongoing), 20 years since South Africa’s Civil Union Act legalised same-sex marriage and the 30th anniversary of South Africa's Constitution,” the art gallery explains.

At the heart of the exhibition is Faces and Phases, her community portrait project, initiated in South Africa in response to the violence and discrimination experienced by Black Queer communities. “Kanye Nawe brings together early portraits made in South Africa alongside recent additions produced in London, Porto, Panama City, Los Angeles, Salvador, São Paulo, Venice and Rio de Janeiro,” the contemporary art gallery notes.

Alongside Faces and Phases, Kanye Nawe features works from Only Half the Picture, Being, Mo(u)rning, LiZa and ZaVa. Together, these photographic series explore intimacy, desire and the complexities of Queer relationships, “portraying moments of tenderness and vulnerability while affirming relationships as spaces of care, solidarity and mutual recognition”, the gallery notes. The show also includes new works from Muholi's self-portrait series Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness). “Created while travelling for exhibitions, residencies and research, the portraits function as a form of visual journaling, responding to the places Muholi inhabits and the objects and encounters that surround them. While Faces and Phases builds a living archive of community, Somnyama Ngonyama becomes an evolving record of self-reflection,” Southern Guild notes.

Extending Muholi's exploration of memory and remembrance into three dimensions are the three large-scale bronze sculptures. “Drawing on the body as both monument and vessel, they expand the artist's investigation of protection and collective remembrance. Across disciplines, Muholi's practice remains rooted in the act of bearing witness, affirming dignity and the enduring presence of Black Queer lives,” Sourthen Guild concludes.