Tate Modern, London
With provocative images of lesbian empowerment and gender play, the photographer celebrates the resilience, style and creativity of South Africa’s queer community
A woman clasping her hands over her jockey shorts, protecting her privacy in the aftermath of rape. The long scar running down her leg is evidence of an even earlier assault. In another image, hospital bracelets tether their wearer to the hate crime that led them here – rape, assault, GBH. These jolts, from Zanele Muholi’s 2002-06 series Only Half the Picture are leavened by other kinds of intimate images in the opening room of Tate Modern’s survey of the artist’s work. An indolent face looks back, with a half-opened mouth spilling smoke into the air. In another the artist looks down, photographing the mug of coffee on the floor, resting between slippered feet. Light catches on the coarse hair on their legs. This one is called Not Butch, But My Legs Are. Moments of humour and levity are much needed here.
