Andrew Esiebo
Nigerian, born 1978
“Untitled,” Who we are Series
2010
Photograph
Collection of Andrew Esiebo
AFRS 2251 - ARTH 2360
34 of 54 recognized African states have laws that prohibit homosexuality. Art and activism intersect in LGBTQ+ social movements in various regions of the African diaspora to challenge ideas of queerness as being foreign to African cultures. This topic is explored through the lenses of gender, love, and resilience.
Through the documentation of queer individuals, three artists, Eric Gyamfi, Zanele Muholi and Mikael Owunna, are challenging the narrative that frequents the African diaspora: that being African and being queer are mutually exclusive identifiers of an individual. The oppression and the struggle to share one’s preferred gender is not the focus of these photographs, but the pride in defying boundaries of gender identities are emphasized. These photographs help write new narratives of the experiences of navigating life being queer and African.
Varied networks of support exist among queer Africans and their loved ones that offer respite in the face of widespread hostility and marginalization by many African societies. Featuring the works of various photographers like Owunna, Gyamfi, Muholi, and Sabelo Mlangeni, we highlight the joy and love present in the queer African community despite the many hardships it faces. In the end, love conquers all.
Resilience and resistance are essential to LGBTQ+ communities and social movements. Artists like Adejoke Tugbiyele use sculpture to evoke the challenges faced by queer Africans and to advance the narrative of their struggle and their resilience. Michael Christopher Brown and Daniel Obasi use portrait photography to put faces to these movements, directly contradicting the idea that “queer” and “African” are antithetical identities.
Through these themes, this section of the exhibition seeks to highlight an often-underrepresented side of the LGBTQ+ community in Africa: the positive actions, art, and activism of queer Africans that push back against their repressive social and political conditions.
Andrew Esiebo
Nigerian, born 1978
“Untitled,” Who we are Series
2010
Photograph
Collection of Andrew Esiebo
Eric Gyamfi
Ghanaian, born 1990
“H., A., O., M. and Y. hanging out on a weekend when one of H.’s friends got married,” Just Like Us Series
2016
Photograph
Collection of Eric Gyamfi
Sabelo Mlangeni
South African, born 1980
“Rings, Arthur and Thando,” Country Girls Series
2003
Photograph
Collection of Sabelo Mlangeni
Zanele Muholi
South African, born 1972
“Zinzi and Tozama I Mobray, Capetown,” Being Series
2010
Photograph
Collection of Zanele Muholi
Mikael Owunna
Nigerian-American, born 1990
“Queer African Motherhood – Tobi & Gabi,” Limit(less) Series
2017
Photograph
Collection of Mikael Owunna
Zanele Muholi
South-African, b. 1972
ID Crisis, Only Half the Picture
2003
Photograph: gelatin silver print on paper
Tate Collection
Purchased with funds provided by Wendy Fisher 2015, P81289
Mikael Owunna
Nigerian-Swedish, b. 1990
Brian—Queer Rwandan (Pronouns: he or she), Limit(less)
2016
Photograph
Mikael Owunna’s Collection
Mikael Owunna
Nigerian-Swedish, b. 1990
Tyler— Queer Kenyan-Somali (Pronouns : he), Limit(less)
2016
Photograph
Mikael Owunna’s Collection
Adejoke Tugbiyele
Nigerian-American, b. 1977
Homeless Hungry Homo
2014
Palm stems, steel, wire, metal, wood, US dollar bills
2915/16 x 5913/16 x 235/8 in.
Arts of Africa, Brooklyn Museum
Frank L. Babbott Fund, accession number 2015.42
Adejoke Tugbiyele
Nigerian-American, b. 1977
Double Life, from the series Grassroots
2016
Palm spines, drain protectors, steel and copper wire, threaded rods
44 x 72 x 24 in.
Skoto Gallery, New York
Michael Christopher Brown
American, b. 1978
Joseph with his friends and boyfriend at Chocolate City
May 14, 2013
Photograph
Magnum Photos, ID number NYC144295
Michael Christopher Brown
American, b. 1978
Joseph relaxes in a bed at a friend’s home
May 14, 2013
Photograph
Magnum Photos, ID number NYC144291
Daniel Obasi
Nigerian, b. 1996
Untitled, from the series Illegal project
2017
Photograph
Daniel Obasi’s collection
Untitled, Just Like Us
2016
Photograph
Eric Gyamfi’s Collection