South African artist and visual activist Zanele Muholi presents a bronze self-portrait sculpture at Art Basel Miami Beach. Revered for their photographic works, Muholi explores a new medium with “Muholi V.” The recumbent figure addresses the topics of labor and rest, burdens Muholi says are historically carried by Black women.
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CreativityTranscript
00:00To be in different spaces at Art Basel or in Miami, it's a blessing for the community at large
00:06because this is not only me sleeping here, but it's us, you know?
00:11And it speaks on black queer visibility, black trans visibility,
00:18black LGBTQIA filtering in the city, saying to the world, we are out there everywhere.
00:25I'm a visual activist.
00:27I take photographs to make sense, to speak on politics of existence, you know?
00:36To undo any invisibility of black LGBTQIA persons in South Africa and beyond.
00:46There are many of us, and the only time that we become relevant is when we have faced violence,
00:53when some of us encounter hate crimes.
00:58And to me, personally, I believe that it's very, very important that we exist as human beings
01:04and also to share, you know, our talents, our beauty, and resistance.
01:13And all that I do, inasmuch as it features me, it's really not about me.
01:19So I just then, you know, extend my responsibilities as an advocate for change.