Celebrated visual activist Zanele Muholi (South Africa, b. 1972) uses their body as a canvas to confront the deeply personal politics of race and representation in the visual archive. Their ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama, which translates to ‘Hail The Dark Lioness’ from is iZulu, one of the official languages of South Africa, playfully employs the conventions of classical painting, fashion photography, and the familiar tropes of ethnographic imagery to rearticulate contemporary identity politics. Each black and white self-portrait asks critical questions about social (in)justice, human rights, and contested representations of the Black body. Zanele Muholi: Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness opens January 8 and continues through March 20, 2021. Organized by Autograph, London and presented in partnership with Center for Visual Art, MSU Denver. Curated by Renée Mussai.