For 'Until All Birds Can Sing: On Being Queer in South Africa', artist Moena Weiss explores the layered and shifting realities of queer existence in a country still deeply marked by the legacies of colonialism and apartheid.
In this body of work, Weiss explores the layered and shifting realities of queer existence in a country still deeply marked by the legacies of colonialism and apartheid. Guided in part by Marsha P. Johnson’s enduring words—“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us”—Weiss’s work becomes both a call for collective freedom and a testament to the urgent need for queer visibility in South Africa today. The exhibition’s title is both metaphor and promise: liberation remains incomplete until every voice is recognized… until all birds can sing.
South Africa’s LGBTQIA+ community exists within a landscape defined by profound dualities. Constitutional and legal progress stands in stark contrast to ongoing violence, marginalization, and erasure. In Cape Town, queer life flourishes—radiant, diverse, and culturally vibrant—yet remains entangled in structures shaped by race, class, and gender inequality. Despite these tensions, queer South Africans continue to forge networks of resistance, joy, solidarity, and care. Their lives are marked equally by vulnerability and resilience, defiance and dignity.
One of the central figures in Weiss’s exhibition is Melanie, a Black non-binary person of Xhosa heritage whose presence anchors the series. Their words speak with clarity and pride:
“I embrace every part of who I am and take pride in my skin and heritage. My gender is fluid and doesn’t fit into society’s traditional binary expectations, and I’m unapologetic about that.”
Their perspective reflects a broader truth within the community: that living one’s identity openly—despite social resistance—is itself an act of courage and liberation.
As both psychologist and visual artist, Weiss approaches each encounter with intention and care. Her practice, which she describes as visual activism, is grounded in collaborative engagement rather than observation from a distance. She does not treat individuals as subjects to be interpreted, but as partners in a shared moment of expression. Through this approach, she seeks to reflect what she witnesses: passionate, complex, empowered individuals embodying their truths—steadily, bravely—until all birds can sing.
Read more
