Since Apartheid’s fall in 1994, South African
photography has exploded from the grip of censorship onto the world
stage. A key figure in this movement is Zwelethu Mthethwa, whose stunning
portraits powerfully frame black South Africans as dignified and defiant,
even under the duress of social and economic hardship. Working in urban
and rural industrial landscapes, Mthethwa documents a range of aspects in
South Africa—from domestic life and the environment to landscape and labor
issues. His work challenges the conventions of both Western documentary work
and African commercial studio photography, marking a transition away from
the visually exotic and diseased—or “Afro-pessimism,” as curator Okwui
Enwezor has referred to it—and employing a fresh approach marked by color
and collaboration. Zwelethu Mthethwa is the artist’s long-awaited first
comprehensive monograph, providing an overview of his work to-date and
featuring the stunning portraits that have brought him international
acclaim.
All images © Zwelethu Mthethwa
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