Fashion_The Image: Fashion photography in a new light

Arts and Creative Industries

From 28 February to 30 May 2026, the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography and Inside Out Centre for the Arts in Johannesburg will host Fashion_The Image, a new exhibition on African fashion photography.

Curated by Sharon Armstrong in collaboration with Wanted editor Aspasia Karras and developed with the African Fashion Research Institute, Fashion_The Image traces how fashion imagery from the continent has been produced and circulated over the past five decades. Archival material, landmark editorials, campaign images and new commissions are shown side by side, positioning Johannesburg as a key reference point in the making of African visual languages.

The exhibition features work by photographers such as Nontsikelelo Veleko, Kristin-Lee Moolman, Andile Buka and Nadine Ijewere, with a dedicated focus on Lesotho-born, Paris-based photographer Koto Bolofo. Their work is shown alongside the designers they collaborated with, including Thebe Magugu, Rich Mnisi, Gert Johan Coetzee, Viviers, Naked Ape, Row G, Nao Serati, Uniform and more.

Detailed credits highlight the contributions of stylists, editors, designers and technical teams, underscoring fashion photography as a collaborative practice. A parallel public programme of walkabouts, talks and masterclasses will offer students, emerging practitioners and audiences opportunities to engage more closely with the images and working methods behind them.

The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) is proud to support Fashion_The Image. For more information, visit The Inside Out Foundation website.

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