South African photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholi will mark twenty years of their landmark portrait series with a signing of Faces and Phases: 2006–2026 at House of Sisters Grimm in London on Saturday 7 November 2026. Published by MACK, the new volume traces an expanding photographic archive of Black LGBTQIA+ lives in South Africa and beyond.

Edited by Renée Mussai, the book brings together more than 300 largely unpublished photographs, alongside personal testimonies, essays and an extended interview with Muholi. Portraits made in South Africa appear alongside work from cities including London, São Paulo and Los Angeles, reflecting the international reach of a project built through sustained relationships with its participants.

“This is not art; this is life. Each and every photograph is someone’s biography,” says Muholi.

Since beginning Faces and Phases in 2006, Muholi has used black-and-white portraiture to challenge the absence and misrepresentation of Black queer and trans people in visual culture. The images and accompanying voices assert the individuality of their participants, creating a record of lives, relationships and identities too often excluded from mainstream histories.

Born in Umlazi, Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, Muholi is among the most significant artists working in photography today. Their practice unites formal rigour with a commitment to visibility, dignity and self-representation. Their work has been exhibited internationally, including at Tate Modern and the Venice Biennale.

Muholi received the 2026 Hasselblad Award, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious photography prize. Their honours also include France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2017 and the Lucie Humanitarian Award in 2019.