Sodiq, Tobi, Nonso and Tonnex

2019 - Photography (Photography)

30 x 40 cm

Sabelo Mlangeni

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The Royal House of Allure is a name of a safe house on mainland Lagos where members of the queer community in need of boarding, due to various circumstances, live together. These houses are more than just places of survival; they are a physical embodiment of radical queer expression that encourage solidarity. The Royal House of Allure was initially conceived following an investigation of how social media influences celebrity culture. However the project shifted, and Sabelo Mlangeni spent six weeks in Lagos photographing the queer community. He forms intimate and meaningful relationships with his subjects, allowing the camera to capture the light that falls onto people as they navigate life.

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Photographer Sabelo Mlangeni’s black and white images capture the intimate, everyday moments of communities in contemporary South Africa. Tackling subjects such as histories of apartheid, questions of black homosexuality, and migrant labor, he works within the communities that he documents over long periods. By gaining the trust of his subjects, he is able to capture unguarded moments all while maintaining total objectivity in his approach. He documents habitually marginalized communities, however the intimacy of his practice and the focus on the bonds between people means he is able to avoid voyeurism by eschewing any stereotyping within his images.

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Colors:

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• curious.s.01
• identity.n.02
• community.n.01
• documentary.a.01
• solidarity.n.01
• visibility.n.02