OF SOUL AND JOY AND MARKET PHOTO WORKSHOP UNITE FOR A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHY

Of Soul and Joy (OSJ), an educational
programme dedicated to empowering youth through photography, in
partnership with the Market Photo Workshop, is pleased to announce its
latest annual exhibition, _Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community_, curated by Dr Nontobeko Ntombela, bringing together the work
of emerging photographers, students and mentors from its programme.

  Now in its fourteenth year Of Soul and Joy continues to grow from its
home at Buhlebuzile Secondary School in Thokoza, where it has become a
space for learning, mentorship and creative expression through
photography. This year’s exhibition looks at the many ways communities
come together through family, faith, memory, place, friendship and
shared experience.

  At the heart of _Assemblies of Community_ is the idea that our stories
do not exist in isolation. They run alongside one another, overlap, meet
unexpectedly and create connections we may not always see at first.
Through portraiture, landscape and documentary photography, the
exhibition brings these threads into view.

  “For us, photography has always been about more than taking pictures.
It’s about staying close to the people and places that shape us, and
creating images that allow communities to recognise themselves, speak
for themselves and be seen with dignity,” says Jabulani Dhlamini,
founder and project manager of Of Soul and Joy.

  “This exhibition is timed to highlight the role young photographers
from spaces like Of Soul and Joy play in reflecting on their communities
and telling stories that provoke sobering reflections on social
realities. The exhibition amplifies photography as both a voice and a
powerful tool for storytelling and empowerment. The curated works
capture the lives of ordinary people while drawing attention to the many
social ills that communities continue to face and that demand meaningful
change,” says Bekie Ntini, Training and Public Engagement Programming
Manager at The Market Photo Workshop.

  The exhibition features work by photographers from Of Soul and Joy,
including Anele Ntshangase, Athenkosi, Fuwe Molefe, Hloni Sigaba,
Jabulani Dhlamini, Life Ngubeni, Lunathi Mngxuma, Sibusiso Bheka,
Siyabonga Mhlanga, Tadiwa Mkono, Teboho Mabuya, Thandile Zwelibanzi,
Vuyo Mabheka, Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo, Xolani Ngubeni and Zwelibanzi
Zwane.

  It also includes important work from the Merafe Hostel project,
developed through the continued efforts of Jabulani Dhlamini, Sibusiso
Bheka and Thandile Zwelibanzi. The Merafe Hostel works expand the
exhibition’s conversation around community, offering a closer look at
a place often spoken about from the outside, but rarely seen through the
eyes of the young people who live there.

  Together, the works offer a layered view of everyday life from township
streets and rural landscapes to family spaces, spiritual gatherings and
personal moments of reflection. They show how young photographers are
using photography to question belonging and how they might help others
see it differently.

  The Market Photo Workshop is a fitting home for this exhibition. As one
of South Africa’s most important spaces for photographic learning and
exchange, it offers a platform where young photographers can share their
work with wider audiences, while stepping into a larger history of
image-making in the country.

  _Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community_ invites audiences to
witness young photographers taking part in a conversation about community, belonging and the power of creating together.