Sabelo Mlangeni
Sabelo Mlangeni is a South African photographer living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa. His photography is focused on depictions of communities. Mlangeni's work is held in the collections of Tate, the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Walther Collection.
Sabelo Mlangeni
- Name
- Sabelo Mlangeni
- Birthplace
- Driefontein, Mpumalanga, South Africa
- Education
- Market Photo Workshop
- Known for
- Black and White Photography
- Born
- 1980 · Driefontein.
- Occupation
- photographer
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Sabelo Mlangeni is a South African photographer living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa. His photography is focused on depictions of communities. Mlangeni's work is held in the collections of Tate, the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Walther Collection.
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Sabelo Mlangeni (born 1980) is a photographer. The photographer was born in Driefontein. Works are held at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Mlangeni speaks multiple languages including; IsiZulu, Igbo, Dagbanli, Nguni and English.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Sabelo Mlangeni • Birthplace — Driefontein, Mpumalanga, South Africa • Education — Market Photo Workshop • Known for — Black and White Photography
Early life and education
Early life and education
• Illustration — No Nepa evening with Nonso, Thom, Mike, Daniel and Ruby, 2019 Sabelo Mlangeni was born in 1980 in Driefontein, a village near Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Mlangeni's career began with his education in photography through the Market Photo Workshop beginning in 2001 and graduating in 2004. Mlangeni is part of the Zionist church.
Life and work
Life and work
Mlangeni's photography is focused on depictions of communities, almost all of his work is done in black and white. He often spends extended time with his subjects in order to portray them more authentically. Mlangeni often portrays Black gay men in South Africa in private and public personas, his shows Country Girls (2009) and Royal House of Allure (2019) are examples that were exhibited in La Biennale Di Venezia 2024, Nucleo Contemporaneo. Though Mlangeni produced many works in Johannesburg, South Africa, he has worked globally. He has created works and had exhibitions in many countries including the United States of America, the Netherlands, and other African countries including Mali and Nigeria.
Residencies
Residencies
Sabelo Mlangeni has participated in two known residency programs: • 2017 Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm, Germany • 2018 A4 Arts Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa
Publications
There are two known book publications from Sabelo Mlangeni: • Sabelo Mlangeni: Umlindelo wamaKholwa. Johannesburg: Wits Art Museum, 2018.. • Sabelo Mlangeni - Isivumelwano. African Photobook of the Year award 2024. Fw:Books
Collections
Mlangeni's work is or has been held in the following public and institutional collections: • Tate, London • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA • Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa • Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm, Germany • Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA • Kadist, Paris
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Warner, Marigold. Sabelo Mlangeni's images of South Africa. British Journal of Photography. 5 October 2018.
- 2.Sabelo Mlangeni born 1980. Tate.
- 3.Sabelo Mlangeni. Art Institute of Chicago. 1980.
- 4.Sabelo Mlangeni. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
- 5.Mlangeni, Sabelo. The Walther Collection.
- 6.Sabelo Mlangeni — Isivumelwano Fw:Books.
- 7.Mlangeni, Sabelo. Umlinelo wamaKholwa. Wits Art Museum. 125. 2018. 978-0-620-79786-3.
- 8.SABELO MLANGENI. Siobhan Keam.
- 9.The Longing of Belonging: African photography on show at MAA University of Cambridge. www.cam.ac.uk. 2017-06-13.
- 10.van der Vlies, Andrew. Queer knowledge and the politics of the gaze in contemporary South African photography: Zanele Muholi and others. Journal of African Cultural Studies. 24. 2. 140–156. 2012. 1369-6815.
- 11.Sabelo Mlangeni. Amant.
- 12.Butcher, Clare. Contemporary South African Photography. Aperture. 205. 12–12. 2011. 0003-6420.
- 13.The Royal House of Allure — blank projects. blankprojects.com.
- 14.Biennale Arte 2024 Sabelo Mlangeni. La Biennale di Venezia. 2024-03-11.
- 15.Sabelo Mlangeni. Amant.
- 16.Sabelo Mlangeni – Kadist.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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