From the township streets of Thokoza to the walls of European galleries, six young South African photographers are putting Johannesburg’s art scene on the global map. Their raw, powerful, and deeply personal work captures the city’s resilience, beauty, and contradictions, and now it’s being showcased to international audiences.
These rising talents are all part of Of Soul and Joy (OSJ), a Thokoza-based mentorship project by Rubis Mécénat and Easigas. Since 2012, OSJ has been helping young South Africans use photography as a tool for storytelling, self-expression, and social change. Now, the world is taking notice.
Johannesburg photography showcased in Brussels
Until 21 December 2025, Fondation A in Brussels is hosting What’s the Word? Johannesburg!, an exhibition curated by Emilie Demon of Afronova Gallery. The show features six OSJ photographers – Sibusiso Bheka, Jabulani Dhlamini, Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo, Vuyo Mabheka, Xolani Ngubeni, and Zwelibanzi Zwane – each presenting their vision of the city through their lenses.
The exhibition draws inspiration from Gil Scott-Heron’s 1975 protest anthem Johannesburg, weaving together themes of identity, resilience, love, fatherhood, and the silenced voices of marginalised communities. The result? A visual story that captures Joburg's beauty and complexity and shares it with the world.
Young South African photographers in Switzerland
Two of the OSJ talents, Mabheka and Hlatshwayo, will also feature in Gen Z (Shaping a New Gaze) at Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland. Running from 18 September 2025 to 1 February 2026, the exhibition brings together 60 international artists exploring what it means to be part of a generation grappling with transformation, belonging, and new possibilities.
Celebrating Jozi photography at home
While the global art world is paying attention, OSJ is also celebrating locally. On 18 October 2025, the project hosts its 5th OSJ Bi-Annual Photo Festival at Buhlebuzile High School in Thokoza – the very community where it all began.
As OSJ project manager (and one of the featured artists) Jabulani Dhlamini explains, “This moment is about more than just international recognition. It is about young South Africans reclaiming their stories, creating new archives, and bringing the realities of Johannesburg to the world stage.”
From township pavements to Europe’s art capitals, these six photographers are proving that Johannesburg’s layered stories, its pain, joy, survival, and reinvention, deserve a place on the global cultural map.
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