Haneem Christian is a filmmaker and visual archivist from Cape Town, South Africa, exploring Pan-African histories through the lens of queerness. Working through lens-based media, their practice centres African storytelling and holds community as sacred, divine, and critical to their photographic ethics. Christian views their work as a tool for narrative justice and collective memory.

Their work has exhibited at the Cape Town International Art Fair, 1-54 New York, AKAA, Latitudes, Unseen Photo Fair, and the Taylor Wessing Prize at the National Portrait Gallery, London. In 2022, they won the Pride Photo Award and were later awarded the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize. In 2023, Christian received a British Council Artist Grant to make their debut docu-art film Eyes to See, which premiered at BFI Flare Film Festival in 2025. In 2024, they joined a Doc Society residency, directed a film screened at the National Arts Festival South Africa, and photographed a global Nike campaign. They began 2025 exhibiting at Cape Town Art Fair and screening their first film internationally at the BFI flare film festival. Bubblegum Club writes, “Haneem is one of the leading forces of the South African future.”

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023
'AKAA (Also Known As Africa), EBONY/CURATED, Paris, France
'Incantations', Eclectica Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
‘Embodying Her’, Aspire Art Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2022
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, Cromwell Place, London, United Kingdom
Unseen Amsterdam Photography Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands
‘A Point of Departure’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, South Africa

2021
‘In Flux’, First Floor Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
‘Unseen’ Photo Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands
‘Between Strangers’ Nuweland, Netherlands
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, (Virtual Representation) EBONY/CURATED, New York, United States of America

2020
FNB Art Joburg, EBONY/CURATED, Johannesburg, South Africa
‘FEMINIST UTOPIA’ curated by Anelisa Mangcu, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
'The Otolith Group Xenogenesis', The Institute of Contemporary Art, Richmond, Virginia

PRESS

Klyntji. 2022. Visual offering wat ver veby tyd en plek strek. [online]. [8 July 2022]. Available from: https://klyntji.com/joernaal/2021/10/2/haneem-christian

Pride Photo. 2022. Winners Pride Photo Award. [online]. [8 July 2022] Available from: https:// pridephoto.org/news/winners-pride-photo-award-2022/

It’s Nice That. 2022. Haneem Christian celebrates gender abundance through their sensitive photographic portraits. [online].[8 July 2022] Available from: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ haneem-christian-photography-050122

Photos of lockdown mundanity win £15,000 Taylor Wessing prize(2022) The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/
2022/oct/25/photos-of-lockdown-mundanity-win-15000-taylor-wessing-prize (Accessed: January 10, 2023).Â

Stone, M.-L. (2022) Striking moments: Taylor Wessing photographic portrait prize winners – in pictures, The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Available at: https://
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2022/oct/26/striking-moments-taylor- wessing-photographic-portrait-prize-winners-in-pictures (Accessed: January 10, 2023).Â

The contemporary lens(no date)Â Aesthetica Magazine. Available at: https:// aestheticamagazine.com/the-contemporary-lens/ (Accessed: January 10, 2023).Â

1-54. 2022. June Pride | Haneem Christian. [online]. [8 July 2022]. Available from: https://www.1-54.com/blog/june-pride-haneem-christian/

Works Of Art Collection. 2022. Haneem Christian | The Memorial Ball. [online]. [11 February 2022]. Available from: http://www.artcollection.uct.ac.za/news/new-haneem-christian-memorial-ball-2020

Klyntji. 2022. Visual offering wat ver veby tyd en plek strek. [online]. [8 July 2022]. Available from: https://klyntji.com/joernaal/2021/10/2/haneem-christian

Pride Photo. 2022. Winners Pride Photo Award. [online]. [8 July 2022] Available from: https://pridephoto.org/news/winners-pride-photo-award-2022/

It’s Nice That. 2022. Haneem Christian celebrates gender abndance through their sensitive photographic portraits. [online].[8 July 2022] Available from: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/haneem-christian-photography-050122

Photovogue. 2020. Vogue Italia PhotoVogue. [Online]. [13 August 2020]. Available from: https://www.vogue.it/en/photovogue/myportfolio/?id=228564

Benedetta pini . 2020. ID Italy Four characters to celebrate the beauty and joy of trans stories. [Online]. [15 December 2020]. Available from: https://i-d.vice.com/it/article/z3e788/celebrazione-storie-trans-haneem-christian

Giulia. 2020. YWYW Magazine: Haneem Christian: a visual poet and activist from Cape Town. [Online]. [15 December 2020]. Available from: https://www.ywywmagazine.com/2020/10/06/haneem-christian-a-visual-poet-and-activist-from-cape-town/

Fabian gosler. 2020. THIS SOUTH AFRICA KIT IS A LATE CONTENDER FOR JERSEY OF THE YEAR. [Online]. [15 December 2020]. Available from: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/grade-laurus-south-africa-football-jersey/

Ghigliazza, L. 2020. Il 2020 secondo Haneem Christian, i legami con le proprie radici. [Online]. [25 February 2021]. Available from: https://i-d.vice.com/it/article/jgqdv4/haneem-christian-foto-2020

Marcia elizabeth. 2019. Bubblegum Club. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https://bubblegumclub.co.za/features/between-and-beyond-binaries-haneem-christian/

The lake. 2019. The Lake Magazine . [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// issuu.com/thelakeco/docs/the_lake_issuu_26
Sol DxB Magazine ’19 (print)

Gemma shepard. 2019. Orms Connect. 28 August 2019 . Meet The Orms Circle Mentors: Haneem Christian. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// blog.ormsdirect.co.za/meet-mentors-haneem-christian/

Cosmo. 2019. 25 under 25 fierce females making their Mark in Africa . [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https://www.cosmopolitan.co.za/hustle/cosmo-next-generation- leaders-revealed/

Christa dee. 2017. Bubblegum Club. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// bubblegumclub.co.za/art-and-culture/takeover-bree-street-reimagining-bree-street/

The plug. 2017. The Plug. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// theplugmag.com/dead-we-gon-live-forever-lookbook/

The plug. 2017. The Plug. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// theplugmag.com/dead-93-we-gon-live-forever-ii/

The plug. 2017. Adidas Originals | Haneem Christian.[Online]. [4 August 2020].Available from: https://theplugmag.com/adidas-originals-haneem-christian/

Jack drummond . 2017. Highsnobiety. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// www.highsnobiety.com/p/nike-golf-cape-town/

Eye candy. 2016. Afropunk. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// afropunk.com/2016/03/feature-check-out-cape-town-photographer-and-storyteller- imraan-christians-striking-series-intersection-of-the-black-imagination/

Okay africa. 2016. Okay Africa. [Online]. [4 August 2020]. Available from: https:// www.okayafrica.com/born-kullid-in-the-neocolony/

COLLECTIONS

UCT Works of Art Collection, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Unisa Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

MENTORSHIPS

2023
'Re-presenting the Archive', hosted by Magnum Photos in collaboration with VANSA

RESIDENCIES

2023
Magnum Photos x VANSA

2022
PhotoVogue x Voice NFT
Artist residency at Cove Park, Scotland