{"id":9919,"date":"2018-01-07T15:50:03","date_gmt":"2018-01-07T15:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calloffthesearch.com\/?p=9919"},"modified":"2019-09-12T13:24:44","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T12:24:44","slug":"i-beautiful-oh-yes-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calloffthesearch.com\/art-entertainment\/i-beautiful-oh-yes-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I beautiful? Oh yes I am!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What a treat to see Zanele Muholi profiled in the Weekend FT. \u00a0It brought to mind my first encounter with the riveting work of this activist-photographer …<\/em><\/p>\n GRAHAMSTOWN, July 8 2016: In this challenging two-part exhibition at the Standard Bank Gallery as part of the annual National Arts Festival, photographer and activist Zanele Muholi provokes and pleases as she explores different ways of asking the question, Am I beautiful?<\/p>\n The first part, Somnyama Ngonyama (an isiZulu phrase which translates to Hail, the dark lioness), is a collection of self-portraits taken as Muholi travelled the world. They shout defiantly, “I am me!” And even, “I am beautiful aren\u2019t I!”<\/p>\n The exaggerated blackness of her skin in the pictures brings ideas about race and the politics of pigment to the fore, creating a whole subset of questions for the viewer.<\/p>\n Muholi writes: “The black face and its details become the focal point, forcing the viewer to question their desire to gaze at images of my black figure. By exaggerating the darkness of my skin tone, I\u2019m reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other.”<\/p>\n