South African Visual Activist Zanele Muholi Awarded Prestigious 2026 Hasselblad Prize

Gothenburg, Sweden – In a landmark recognition of visual activism and photographic excellence, the Hasselblad Foundation has named South African artist Zanele Muholi as the 2026 Hasselblad Award laureate. Widely regarded as the world’s largest and most prestigious prize in photography, the award honors Muholi’s more than two decades of groundbreaking work that centers Black LGBTQIA+ visibility, dignity, and resistance.

Muholi, born in 1972 in Umlazi, Durban, identifies as non-binary and describes their practice as “visual activism.” Their influential series, including the long-term portrait project Faces and Phases and the striking self-portrait series Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness), document and affirm the lives of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals in South Africa and beyond. These works confront ongoing discrimination, violence, and erasure while reclaiming narratives of identity, beauty, and community in the face of historical marginalization.

The Hasselblad Foundation praised Muholi as “one of the most influential contemporary photographers, with an impact that reaches far beyond the art world.” Previous recipients include luminaries such as Carrie Mae Weems, Wolfgang Tillmans, Cindy Sherman, and Nan Goldin, placing Muholi in an esteemed lineage of visionaries who have shaped the medium.

As the 46th laureate, Muholi receives SEK 2,000,000 (approximately $216,600 USD), a gold medal, and a Hasselblad camera. The award also includes a major solo exhibition at the Hasselblad Center in Gothenburg, on view from October 10, 2026, to April 4, 2027. Curated by Louise Wolthers and Dragana Vujanović Östlind from the Hasselblad Foundation alongside Lufuno Ramadwa from the Muholi Art Institute, the show will feature key works from Muholi’s career. Accompanying events during Hasselblad Award Week include a formal ceremony on October 9, a book launch, an artist talk at Moderna Museet in Stockholm on October 13, a seminar, and a concert with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Muholi’s achievement resonates deeply within South Africa’s queer and trans communities, as well as globally. In interviews following the announcement, Muholi emphasized the collective nature of the honor: “It’s an honour for our people, for the Black LGBTQIA+ community from home – it’s for all of us, the queer and trans community in Africa.”

The recognition arrives amid Muholi’s continued international prominence, with recent exhibitions and ongoing advocacy underscoring their role in rewriting visual histories of resistance and existence.

For more on Zanele Muholi’s work, visit their official platforms or gallery representations.