Reflections On The Self: Five African Women Photographers

Reflections on the Self features five contemporary African women photographers whose work deals with women's narratives through self-portraits or portraits of others. The artists are Hélène Amouzou (Togo, Belgium), Majida Khattari (Morocco, France), Zanele Muholi (South Africa), Senayt Samuel (Eritrea, UK), and Nontsikelelo Veleko (South Africa).

The exhibition, curated by Christine Eyene, focuses on female photographic practice in Africa and the diaspora, and examines the gaze of women photographers and how this is informed by the politics of representation. The title refers literally to the mirror image and also to photography as a means of thinking about the self, as both subject and object.

Hélène Amouzou (b. 1969) created her series of self-portraits, 'Between the Wallpaper and the Wall', during a ten year period whilst she was in limbo in Belgium waiting for her identity papers. Using double-exposure and movement to blur or dissolve her image, she leaves ghostly traces that seem on the verge of disappearance. The empty suitcase, her only prop, becomes a symbol of her precarious existence.

Majida Khattari (b. 1966) is an artist, designer and photographer who challenges the stigma of the veil and preconceived ideas about Muslim women in France. In her new series, she explores sensuality and desire, evoking Orientalist paintings by artists such as Delacroix, and making visual play with the veiled or partially concealed body.

Zanele Muholi's (b. 1972) work looks at women's experiences and histories, particularly black lesbian identities. She made the two series of work featured in this show, 'Miss Lesbian' and 'Being (T)here', in collaboration with photographer Sean Fitzpatrick during her residency in Amsterdam in 2009. Her work has been shown widely across the world and featured in the V&A's exhibition 'Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography' in the summer of 2011.

Senayt Samuel (b. 1969) settled in London in 2002 after her family's deportation from Ethiopia. The series in this exhibition consists of self-portraits exploring the notion of framing and mirrored reflections, both as an art-historical device and as a means of defining the parameters of identity. Her work was included in Tate Britain's 2008 exhibition 'Imagine Art After'.

Nontsikelelo Veleko (b. 1977) currently lives and works in Johannesburg. Her signature images captured alternative youth fashion in contemporary South Africa, focusing on funky and provocative street style. They featured in the 2006 exhibition 'Snap Judgments' in New York, curated by Okwui Enwezor and was included in 'Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography' at the V&A in Summer 2011.

Christine Eyene is an art critic and independent curator.  She is Curator of the Gwanza Month of Photography 2011, Zimbabwe, and the African selection of Photoquai 2011, the World Photography Biennial, Musee de Quai Branly, Paris.  Her most recent exhibition was 'Uprooting the Gaze: Foreign Places Familiar Patterns' as part of Brighton Photo Fringe, 2010.  She was Publishing Director of Africultures from 2006 to 2009, and is on the editorial board for Third Text.

A research pack for venues, with an essay by the curator and detailed information on each of the photographers is available for tour venues. This Hayward Touring Exhibition was launched at London's Royal Festival Hall as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day in March 2011.

The exhibition includes 34 framed works, each 60 x 80cm.

TOUR DATES

28 April - 27 May 2012
Bankfield Museum, Halifax

2 June - 1 July
AVAILABLE FOR TOUR

7 July - 5 August
AVAILABLE FOR TOUR

11 August - 9 September
AVAILABLE FOR TOUR

15 September - 14 October
AVAILABLE FOR TOUR

20 October - 18 November
AVAILABLE FOR TOUR

24 November 2012 - 6 January 2013
The Brindley, Runcorn

12 January - 10 February
AVAILABLE FOR TOUR

Tour continues

Information:

Security Category: C
Exhibition fee: £700 + VAT (Financial year 2012/13)

For more information please contact Alison Maun: alison.maun@southbankcentre.co.uk / 020 7960 5222

Image Credits:

Nontsikelelo Veleko, Nonkulukelo, 2003, ©the artist 2010, Courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery

Hélène Amouzou, Untitled, 2008,© Hélène Amouzou . 2010, Courtesy the artist

Majida Khattari, Ninfa Moderna (Modern Nymph), 2010, © Majida Khattari 2010. Courtesy the artist