South African photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholi will mark two decades of their landmark portrait series Faces and Phases with the launch of a new book at House of Sisters Grimm in London on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The event will celebrate a body of work documenting Black LGBTQIA+ lives while bringing together photography, personal testimony, South African music and performance through a programme featuring the dance musical INALA. Titled Faces and Phases: 2006–2026, the publication is edited by Renée Mussai and published by MACK. It brings together more than 300 largely unpublished photographs, personal testimonies, essays and an extended interview, revisiting a project that has challenged the absence and misrepresentation of Black queer and trans people in visual culture since its inception in 2006.
For Muholi, the project extends beyond conventional portraiture. The photographs document individuals and their lives, asserting their right to represent themselves in a visual history that has frequently excluded or marginalised their experiences. By placing their subjects at the centre of their own narratives, the series creates a record of relationships, identities and personal histories that might otherwise remain overlooked.
“This is not art; this is life. Each and every photograph is someone’s biography,” Muholi says, underscoring the deeply personal and documentary dimensions of the project.
The London event will be the first and only UK launch and signing for the new publication. Hosted by House of Sisters Grimm and co produced by Michael Burgess of Creative Resilience International, with support from MACK and Southern Guild, the programme will include an artist conversation, book signings and a reception. The event provides an opportunity for audiences to engage with Muholi’s work as the series enters its third decade. Muholi’s international recognition has continued to grow, with the artist receiving the 2026 Hasselblad Award. Their career also includes exhibitions at Tate Modern and the Venice Biennale, alongside honours such as France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, awarded in 2017, and the Lucie Humanitarian Award in 2019.
The launch also establishes a connection between Muholi’s visual practice and the wider celebration of South African culture at House of Sisters Grimm, where the dance musical INALA forms part of the venue’s artistic programme. Born in Umlazi, Durban, in KwaZulu Natal, Muholi shares a cultural connection with the production, whose creative journey began in Durban and whose music is performed exclusively in isiZulu, a Nguni language originating in South Africa and spoken predominantly in KwaZulu Natal.
Meaning “an abundance of goodwill” in isiZulu, INALA combines South African musical traditions with contemporary choreography and theatrical storytelling. Its music was co written by Ella Spira MBE with the late Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, bringing together creative influences associated with South Africa’s rich choral and performance heritage. The production places isiZulu at the heart of the experience, using song, harmony and movement to communicate its emotional narrative.
The choice to perform entirely in isiZulu gives INALA a distinctive cultural identity. Rather than relying on English dialogue, the production allows language, rhythm and physical expression to carry its storytelling. For isiZulu speakers, the performance offers a direct connection to its words and cultural references, while audiences unfamiliar with the language can encounter its narrative through music, movement and the emotional expression of its performers.
Choreographed by Mark Baldwin OBE, the production features ten South African performers and narration by Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela. Its international journey has included performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Hampton Court Palace, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and Joburg Theatre. Its Grammy nominated music has also helped bring the production to wider international attention.
Through its themes of love, grief, reunion, resilience and hope, INALA presents South African cultural expression as a living practice that can travel internationally without losing its linguistic and artistic roots. Its presence alongside Muholi’s book launch creates a meeting point between two distinct creative approaches, both of which place South African experiences and perspectives within a broader international conversation.
While Muholi’s photography documents Black LGBTQIA+ lives through portraiture and self representation, INALA uses Zulu song, dance and movement to share South African cultural heritage with audiences beyond the country’s borders. Together, the works demonstrate how photography and performance can preserve personal and collective histories while challenging audiences to engage with experiences beyond their own.
House of Sisters Grimm provides a setting for this convergence of artistic disciplines. Opened in London’s West End in November 2025, the venue combines an intimate theatre, a multimedia art gallery featuring South African landscapes by Sisters Grimm co founder Ella Spira, and a South African fine wine bar. Its programme brings together performance, visual art and hospitality, with a broader commitment to cultural storytelling and social engagement.
The venue’s work also extends beyond its artistic programme through youth outreach and support for Lawyers against Abuse. Sisters Grimm, founded in 2009 by Pietra Mello Pittman MBE and Ella Spira MBE, develops original productions through international artistic collaborations, using performance to explore social questions, honour cultural heritage and connect audiences across languages and backgrounds.
The book launch takes place on Saturday, 7 November, with House of Sisters Grimm opening to guests at 12.30 pm London time. The artist conversation and first book signing session will run from 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm, followed by a reception. An afternoon performance of INALA is scheduled for 4 pm to 5 pm, with a second signing session from 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm. An evening performance of the production will take place from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm.
Faces and Phases: 2006–2026 will be available to purchase at the launch for £65. The event offers an opportunity to revisit a photographic archive that has spent twenty years documenting lives, relationships and identities while challenging the limits of representation. Alongside it, INALA places South African language, music and performance within the same cultural setting, bringing different artistic forms together through a shared emphasis on heritage, visibility and storytelling.
