This beautiful portrait by South African activist and photographer Zanele Muholi is my coup de cœur at Arendt & Medernach. Muholi is one of the most celebrated photographers working today and for good reason. Their models look directly into the camera, challenging us and not letting us overlook the obvious. Since the early 2000s they have been documenting and celebrating the lives of South Africa’s Black lesbian, gay, trans, queer and intersex communities. Muholi captures moments of love and intimacy as well as intense images alluding to traumatic events – despite the equality promised by South Africa’s 1996 Constitution, the LGBTQIA+ community remains a target of violence and prejudice. These portraits form a growing archive of a community of people who risk their lives by living authentically in the face of oppression and discrimination. They capture the strength and beauty of these communities. That is a far more powerful statement than all the pain that persists.