Zanele Muholi: Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness

Step into the powerful, poetic world of Zanele Muholi with their breathtaking monograph:
Zanele Muholi: Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness. Fierce. Unapologetic. Visually unforgettable. This stunning volume features over 100 self-portraits by one of the most celebrated visual activists of our time. Using everyday materials—safety pins, rubber gloves, scouring pads—Muholi transforms themself into striking icons of strength, protest, and deep ancestral memory. Each image is a visual roar, confronting race, gender, history, and identity with raw beauty and bold imagination.

“I am producing this photographic document to encourage individuals in my community to be brave enough to occupy spaces.” — Zanele Muholi

With over 20 essays, poems, and reflections from curators, writers, and artists, this book is more than a collection of images—it’s a living, breathing manifesto. One that pulses with resistance, resilience, and reverence.

Whether you're an art lover, activist, or simply someone who believes in the power of storytelling through image, Somnyama Ngonyama is a must-have masterpiece.

Details 

• Hardcover 
• 212 pages 
• 14 in H x 10.5 in W x 0.9 in T