Tamary Kudita is a Zimbabwean photographer who explores the complexities of African identities through her remarkable portraits. Born in Zimbabwe, Kudita traces her ancestry to the historical Orange Free State, a Dutch colonial region in Southern Africa. Her work delves into the historical and often violent erasure of African perspectives due to European colonization, bringing their heritage and presence to the fore. Through her ongoing series titled “African Victorian” and “Birds of Paradise”, Kudita focuses on elaborate portraits that illuminate once-invisible bodies by making them hyper-visible.
Kudita’s subjects are dressed in brightly patterned Dutch wax fabrics fashioned around hoop skirts or other elaborate attire. Her portraits often nod to the colonial era of global exploration and trade, along with its darker legacy of human enslavement. In “Vessel”, a headdress of pearls and a wooden ship symbolize the colonial era, while in “Liberty”, a woman in a metallic gown ride on horseback, a motif traditionally reserved for male subjects in art history and symbolic of the freedom to roam. Kudita’s work reinforces myriad African identities through her imaginary characters, inverting historical imagery and emphasizing empowerment and individuality.
More info: Website, Instagram (h/t: Colossal).
Liberty
Lotus
Left: Hair Tales / Right: Vessel
Roots II
Left: African Victorian II / Right: African Victorian VII (2019)
Your Carriage Awaits
That Evening Sun Goes Down
Gladys
