Internationally reputed photographer Andrew Tshabangu through this exhibition poignantly demonstrates why he is master of his craft
By Tonderai Chiyindiko
Internationally renowned photographer Andrew Tshabangu recently presented a selection of his work titled Communion at Galley MOMO to an adoring crowd of photography enthusiasts.
Known for his striking black and white images which he has exhibited all over the world, Tshabangu once again demonstrated that he is a master of his craft and in his photographs viewers get transported to places far and wide in a way that few can muster.
In describing his work, Tshabangu gives insight into his process as well as some insights into what drives him to continue doing something he has done for more than 20 years. “Communion is not merely about religion, it’s about the ways we come together — across generations, across thresholds of the living and the ancestral — and how photography can hold that sacred tension between presence and absence.”, says Tshabangu
Communion features photographs drawn from three separate bodies of work from the salt fields of Matola in Mozambique, the wine harvests of Saint-Émilion in France, and from the Water is Ours series.
Through Tshabangu’s lens and eye for detail the seemingly mundane become remarkable as depicted by the labourers in the salt pans to labourers in the vineyards – both are approached with the same care meaning the photographs never seem intrusive or forced and this is one of the reasons Tshabangu is peerless in his chosen vocation.
The power of this exhibition also lies in the careful and thoughtful curation which allows the works drawn from different spaces and times across Tshabangu’s long and illustrious career to be in communion.
*All images are courtesy of Gallery MOMO
Communion is on at Gallery MOMO until 15 November 2025.