Exhibition Type: Solo Exhibition
Artist: Lee-Ann Olwage
Venue: Central Library
Address: Cape Town
Lee-Ann Olwage is a visual storyteller from South Africa whose practice centres on collaborative image-making to explore themes of gender and identity.
She approaches photography as a process of co-creation and celebration. Through her long-term projects, she creates spaces in which those she collaborates with actively shape how their stories are told—resulting in images that are both affirming and self-determined.
The Mwani Zanzibar Mamas formed as a collective to strengthen their capacity for economic independence and mutual support. Deeply connected to the ocean and its fragile ecosystems, these women act as custodians of both marine resources and cultural knowledge on the island.
The stories of women whose lives are intertwined with the sea are vital to the broader climate narrative. They offer insight into the ecological and cultural losses that accompany a warming planet, while also demonstrating the power of local conservation practices and indigenous knowledge systems. In this, their voices stand not only as testimony, but as guidance.
