Market Photo Workshop

Of Soul and Joy and Market Photo Workshop Unite for a Celebration of Community Photography

Of Soul and Joy (OSJ), an educational programme dedicated to empowering youth through photography, in partnership with the Market Photo Workshop, has announced its latest annual exhibition, Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community, curated by Dr Nontobeko Ntombela

The exhibition brings together the work of emerging photographers, students and mentors from the programme.

Now in its fourteenth year, Of Soul and Joy continues to grow from Buhlebuzile Secondary School in Thokoza, where it has become a space for learning, mentorship and creative expression through photography.

This year’s exhibition explores how communities come together through family, faith, memory, place, friendship and shared experience.

At the heart of the exhibition is the idea that stories do not exist in isolation. They overlap, connect and shape one another in unexpected ways.

“For us, photography has always been about more than taking pictures,” says Jabulani Dhlamini. “It’s about allowing communities to recognise themselves and be seen with dignity.”

Bekie Ntini of The Market Photo Workshop adds that the exhibition highlights photography as a powerful tool for storytelling and social reflection.

The exhibition features work by emerging photographers from Of Soul and Joy, including the Merafe Hostel project, which expands the conversation around community and lived experience.

Together, the works offer a layered view of everyday life, from township streets to rural landscapes and intimate family spaces.

Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community invites audiences to reflect on community, belonging and the power of creating together.

📢 EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT

The Market Photo Workshop is proud to present Of Soul & Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community, an annual group exhibition featuring a collective of photographers from the Of Soul and Joy project.

Curated by Dr. Nontobeko Ntombela, this powerful showcase features work created during 2025–2026 through intensive workshops facilitated by mentors Jabulani Dhlamini, Thandile Zwelibanzi, and Sibusiso Bheka. The exhibition invites reflection on the power of collective investment in photography, mentorship, and storytelling from within lived realities. 🗓

Exhibition Details:

Dates: 06 June – 31 July 2026
Venue: Market Photo Workshop
Address: 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg

📷 Exhibiting Photographers:
Anele Ntshangase, Athenkosi, Fuwe Molefe, Hloni Sigaba, Jabulani Dhlamini, Life Ngubeni, Lunathi Mngxuma, Sibusiso Bheka, Siyabonga Mhlanga, Tadiwa Mkono, Teboho Mabuya, Thandile Zwelibanzi, Vuyo Mabheka, Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo, Xolani Ngubeni, Zwelibanzi Zwane, Buhle Dlamini, Lethiwe Ntuli, Mbalentle Mqatu, Nolwazi Hadebe, and Nontobeko Mkhonza.

Join us in celebrating this profound milestone and experiencing a sophisticated visual language that speaks of faith, the land, and the enduring power of community.

The clock is ticking: Scholarship applications close this Friday⌛

If you’re an advanced visual storyteller, archival researcher, or independent artist working on a complex, long-form project, this is your final window to apply for a 90% supported scholarship spot.

Market Photo Workshop is excited to share this incredible opportunity for the upcoming workshop: Archives, Found Photographs, and the Long Documentary Project.

The Essentials:

The Mentor: Led by acclaimed artist and curator Akshay Mahajan along with .

The Setup: A intensive 4-week critique group strictly capped at 10 practitioners for deep, one-on-one narrative development.

Supported by: InDPC Directorial Fellowship, ensuring financial friction doesn't keep your work in the dark.

Deadline: Friday, 5 June 2026, at 11:59 PM IST.
Requirements: Your updated CV and a Letter of Intent.
Link: https://shorturl.at/AMpxO

Applications Open: 2026 Tierney Fellowship 📸

The Market Photo Workshop, in partnership with The Tierney Family Foundation, is excited to invite applications for the 2026 Tierney Fellowship.

As the longest-running photography mentorship of its kind in Africa, this fellowship provides a rising photographer with the vital resources, mentorship, and creative space needed to develop a significant new body of work.

The Fellowship Includes:

R50,000 production budget for research, travel, and photography supplies.

Mentorship from industry experts and a global artistic community.

Potential opportunity to curate a solo exhibition or publication.

Key Details:

Deadline: Wednesday, 19 June 2026

How to apply & full criteria: Visit www.marketphotoworkshop.co.za
Email [email protected] (cc:[email protected]).
Enquiries: +27 11 834 1444

The Market Photo Workshop is hosting Roots & Remembrance, the first solo exhibition by Lesedi Ledwaba one of the participating photographers of the National Legacy Project at the Market Photo Workshop.

The exhibition opens Saturday 16 May at 11am. It is partially fulfillment of Lesedi’s university studies.

The Market Photo Workshop, in partnership with the École nationale supérieure de la photographie (ENSP) in Arle, France has undertaken three yearly intakes of the National Legacy Project with photographers from marginalised communities across South Africa.

The National Legacy Project used hands-on job experience, combined with technical and theoretical support and incubation, with the aim of enhancing and elevating photographers’ business ventures and artistic practice. The Project provided practical experience and exposure to fully understand major aspects of the enterprise of photography.

Preserving the moments that moved a nation ✊🏾📸

Today marks the final day of National Archives Week. We are looking back at the era through the eyes of our alumni, reminding us that these archives are more than just history; they are a call for justice and accountability.

Photographers:
📸Sethembiso Zulu.
📸Jacques Nelles

Let’s be honest…

Who really holds power in South Africa today? The Gupta Family vs The Stellenbosch Mafia is not just a title, it’s a confrontation.

Date: 25 April 2026
Time: 11:30
RSVP: [email protected]) or DM

Come question everything you think you know. Pull through. Let’s talk.

Join us for a powerful conversation as Books in Conversation presents The Gupta Family vs The Stellenbosch Mafia alongside Lives, Voices, Struggle: An Exhibition of Human Rights in a Divided World.

As we approach Freedom Day, this dialogue invites us to move beyond the visible narratives of power and engage the deeper systems that continue to shape ownership, voice, and inequality in South Africa.

Hosted at Market Photo Workshop, this session brings together Andile Mngxitama in conversation with Molaodi Wa Sekake, with a special poetry reading by Tharollo Seathlolo. Curated by Bandile Gumbi and Loyiso Oldjohn, the exhibition draws from the archives to reflect ongoing struggles around land, migration, gender, and youth.

Venue: Market Photo Workshop, 138 Lillian Ngoyi Street, Newtown

Date: 25 April 2026

Time: 11:30

RSVP: [email protected] or send us a DM.

Big moment for one of our own 📸🔥

Huge congratulations to Ihsaan Haffejee on being named a 2026 World Press Photo Contest winner 🏆

An alumnus of our Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Programme, his work continues to tell powerful, necessary stories.

Take a look at his award-winning work: https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/2026/Ihsaan-Haffejee/1

Big moment 📸🔥

Huge congratulations to Haffejee on being named a 2026 World Press Photo Contest winner 🏆

An alumnus of our Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Programme, his work continues to tell powerful, necessary stories.

Take a look at his award-winning work: https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/2026/Ihsaan-Haffejee/1