Culture | Exhibitions This was one of the shows that burned brightly in 2020 before another coronavirus wave forced its doors shut. It returns with some additions, reflecting the progress in the South African artist’s work in the intervening years. And it confirms that Muholi is one of the supreme purveyors of photographic art today, exploring Black queer life in South Africa – and their own place within that culture and more widely – with unflinching directness, touching intimacy and technical virtuosity.
Recent photographs have been added, only enriching an already impressive gathering. However, it also reflects Muholi’s new foray into the medium of bronze, which is far less successful. Let’s get that one bum note in an otherwise symphonic show out of the way first.
There is nothing inherently bad about Muholi’s sculptures, three of which are self-portraits and the other a representation of the full form of the clitoris. They possess a boldness common to the photographs. But they have little of the complexity, nuance and distinctive beauty of the images around them.
Intentionally or not, they look generically ‘fabricated’ – produced according to instructions but with little personal touch. But they offer scant feel for the sculptural material. They’re also pictorial in nature, which limits their three-dimensional impact.
The contrast with the photographs is striking. Because, while I use the term pictorial pejoratively in relation to sculpture, I see a s.