Zanele Muholi

Documentary Media (MFA) ’10
Photographer and Visual Activist

A graduate from Ryerson’s very first graduating year in Documentary Media, Zanele Muholi has become a world-recognized photographer and visual activist. Her Ryerson thesis mapped the visual history of Black lesbian identity and politics in post-Apartheid South Africa and much of her work is about bringing visibility of LGBTI persons in the Black community. Recognized internationally for both her photography and her activism, in March 2013 Zanele was given the Index on Censorship — Freedom of Expression art award in London, and in August the Mbokodo Award for Creative Photography. Her most recent award comes from the Prince Claus Fund in Amsterdam, given at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam in the presence of members of the Dutch Royal Family.