{"id":461994,"date":"2026-03-07T05:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T05:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/461994\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T05:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T05:04:10","slug":"south-african-photographer-zanele-muholi-wins-2026-hasselblad-award-and-218000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/461994\/","title":{"rendered":"South African Photographer Zanele Muholi Wins 2026 Hasselblad Award and $218,000"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hasselblad-2026-award-featured-800x420.jpg\" alt=\"Three black-and-white portraits of a dark-skinned person with elaborate, sculptural headpieces and bold, artistic styling; each headpiece is unique, made from abstract shapes, foam rollers, and clothespins.\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-842846\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hasselbladfoundation.org\/en\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">The Hasselblad Foundation<\/a> has named South African photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hasselbladfoundation.org\/en\/hasselblad-award-winner-2026\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">Zanele Muholi the 2026 Hasselblad Award laureate<\/a>, the world\u2019s largest photography award. Muholi has won SEK 2,000,000 (over $217,000 at current exchange rates), a gold medal, a Hasselblad camera, and a lengthy solo exhibition at the Hasselblad Center at the Gothenburg Museum of Art in Sweden. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cZanele Muholi stands as one of the most influential contemporary photographers, with an impact that reaches far beyond the art world. They use portraiture to articulate and celebrate the presence, depth, and dignity of the Black LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa and the rest of the world,\u201d the Hasselblad Foundation explains. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ZaneleMuholi_Photo_IkramAbdulkadir-1-scaled-1-534x800.jpg\" alt=\"A person with long dreadlocks, wearing a black hat, white eyeglasses, and a black-and-white geometric patterned jacket, looks calmly at the camera against a neutral background.\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842840\"  \/>Portrait of Zanele Muholi | Photo by Ikram Abdulkadir <\/p>\n<p>Muholi was born in 1972 during apartheid in South Africa. Throughout Muholi\u2019s career, they have been very cognizant of the power of narrative, storytelling, and imagery in the face of systemic oppression and violence. <\/p>\n<p>The acclaimed photographer\u2019s work embraces powerful, dynamic composition, exciting use of tone, and a strong visual language. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Bester-I-Mayotte-2015--577x800.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white portrait of a person with white lipstick, wearing earrings and a headpiece made of clothespins, draped in a striped garment, looking directly at the camera against a mottled background.\" width=\"577\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842845\"  \/>Bester I, Mayotte, 2015 | \u00a9 Zanele Muholi<br \/>\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lerato-Dumse-KwaThema-Springs-Johannesburg-2010-528x800.jpg\" alt=\"A person with short hair wearing a striped button-up shirt stands in front of a stack of plastic crates. They look directly at the camera with a neutral expression. The photo is in black and white.\" width=\"528\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842844\"  \/>Lerato Dumse, KwaThema, Springs, Johannesburg, 2010 | \u00a9 Zanele Muholi <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Busi-Sigasa-sm_-Braamfontein-Johannesburg-2006-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"A person wearing a striped beanie, jacket, and sweater stands outdoors with tall grass and a small, weathered building in the background. The image is in black and white.\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842847\"  \/>Busi Sigasa, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2006 | \u00a9 Zanele Muholi <\/p>\n<p>\u201cActivism and community work is an integral part of their practice, which combines political urgency and formal mastery, making Muholi a central figure in global queer visual culture,\u201d the Hasselblad Foundation continues. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis prize is not mine alone. I carry it with the many faces, names, and histories that have trusted me with their stories. From Umlazi to every space where Black LGBTQIA+ people continue to fight to exist freely, this recognition affirms that our lives are worthy of being seen \u2014 not as statistics, not as shadows, but as full human beings,\u201d the photographer says. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor years, my work has been about visibility and resistance. It has been about creating an archive so that no one can say, \u2018We did not know.\u2019 When this honor comes, I receive it on behalf of my community; those who have been erased, those who are still here, and those who are yet to see themselves reflected with dignity,\u201d Muholi concludes. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ntozakhe-II-Parktown-2016-575x800.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman gazes slightly upward, wearing a sculptural headpiece made of rounded shapes and a draped, textured garment. The photo is in black and white with a plain background.\" width=\"575\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842843\"  \/>Ntozakhe II, Parktown, 2016 | \u00a9 Zanele Muholi <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Yaya-Mavundla-I-Parktown-Johannesburg-2017-528x800.jpg\" alt=\"A person poses confidently wearing a short skirt and a crisscrossed crop top made of sheer plastic wrap. They have short, styled hair and a choker necklace, standing against a plain light background.\" width=\"528\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842841\"  \/>Yaya Mavundla I, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2017 | \u00a9 Zanele Muholi<br \/>\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Qiniso-The-Sails-Durban-2019-528x800.jpg\" alt=\"A Black person in profile with hair styled upward, adorned with multiple white Afro picks. They wear a comb-shaped earring and a textured top, set against a plain, textured background.\" width=\"528\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-842842\"  \/>Qiniso, The Sails, Durban, 2019 | \u00a9 Zanele Muholi <\/p>\n<p>Over their career, Muholi has done many influential, long-term projects, including Faces and Places (2006-), Only half the Picture (2003-2004), Brave Beauties (2014-), and a self-portrait series, Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness) (2018-). The longest-running project, Faces and Places, is considered among the most influential works in contemporary photography. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is with great pleasure that we award Zanele Muholi the 46th Hasselblad Award,\u201d says Kalle Sanner, CEO of the Hasselblad Foundation. \u201cIn their artistic practice, Muholi combines photography with activism, creating powerful and significant works in which human rights are central. We look forward to presenting an extensive selection of their work this autumn at the Hasselblad Center.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Muholi, represented by Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York and Southern Guild Gallery in Cape Town and New York, has had their work shown around the world at illustrious galleries and museums, including the Venice Biennale, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Maison Europ\u00e9enne de la Photographie Paris, Tate Modern, and many more. <\/p>\n<p>Muholi\u2019s solo exhibition at the Hasselblad Center, as part of this award, will open on October 10, 2026, and run through April 4, 2027. More of Muholi\u2019s photographs are available on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hasselbladfoundation.org\/en\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">Hasselblad Foundation website<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Image credits: \u00a9 Zanele Muholi, Courtesy Yancey Richardson, New York, and Southern Guild, Cape Town  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Hasselblad Foundation has named South African photographer Zanele Muholi the 2026 Hasselblad Award laureate, the world\u2019s largest&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6442,6225,6485,6486,47690,5343,1120,96,165868,56487,165869,165870,6501,18708,37311,56,54,55,165871],"class_list":{"0":"post-461994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-activism","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-award","13":"tag-culture","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-fineart","17":"tag-hasselblad","18":"tag-hasselbladaward","19":"tag-hasselbladfoundation","20":"tag-portrait","21":"tag-prize","22":"tag-southafrica","23":"tag-uk","24":"tag-united-kingdom","25":"tag-unitedkingdom","26":"tag-zanelemuholi"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}