Jack Shainman Gallery is pleased to present Zwelethu Mthethwa's fifth solo exhibition at the gallery featuring large format photographs from several new series including, Mozambique, Coal Miners, and Contemporary Gladiators.
Mthethwa, whose stunning portraits show black Africans as dignified and... Read more
Jack Shainman Gallery is pleased to present Zwelethu Mthethwa’s fifth solo exhibition at the gallery featuring large format photographs from several new series including, Mozambique, Coal Miners, and Contemporary Gladiators.
Mthethwa, whose stunning portraits show black Africans as dignified and defiant, even under the duress of social and economic hardship, is a key figure in the South African photography movement that exploded onto the world stage following Apartheid’s fall in 1994. Working in both urban and rural industrial areas, Mthethwa documents domestic life, labor, the environment, and landscape in South Africa and neighboring countries. His work challenges the conventions of both Western documentary work and African commercial studio photography, marking a transition away from presenting Africa and Africans as the visually exotic and diseased, employing a fresh approach distinguished by his use of scale, color, composition, and his collaboration with his subjects. Drawing from the history of portraiture and photojournalism, Mthethwa’s works often comment on gender roles and raise consciousness around issues related to post-apartheid South African society and globalization.
