Zanele Muholi's 'Faces and Phases'

Currently on display at Yancey Richardson Gallery is photographer Zanele Muholi’s Faces and Phases, an exhibition featuring portraits of South African lesbians and transgender individuals who have been victims of extreme homophobic violence on their home continent. The photographer's goal is not to show these individuals restrictively as victims of their circumstance, but rather to ensure the visibility of each individual as part of a community that is so often misrepresented by outsiders. Their story, which is also Muholi's own, is powerfully conveyed in the series of images, which dismantles the traditional relationship between photographer and subject, allowing them to converge as one.

Muholi’s subjects do not appear defeated by their histories; rather they stand resilient with a strength that permeates the gallery space. Walking through the gallery you are confronted by the gazes of 29 women, each evoking an attitude and style that is so uniquely their own, not just in their varying poses and gestures, but also in their attire. Some are adorned in traditional South African garb, decorated with long beaded necklaces, piercings, and braids, while others are clad in button-down shirts, bowties, fedoras, and leather jackets.

In addition to Muholi’s photographs, Yancey Richardson’s Project Gallery features eight photographs selected by the artist. These include work from the likes of Nan Goldin, Catherine Opie, Collier Schorr, and Christopher Makos––a surprising treat and a playful rival when juxtaposed with Muholi’s more austere photographs. Both give the viewer a chance to experience different modes of queer representation.

Photos by James Parker | Through April 6, 2013

YANCEY RICHARDSON GALLERY
535 West 22nd Street 3rd floor
New York NY 10011
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