The Market Photo Workshop Announces Its Latest Annual Exhibition

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, announced its latest annual exhibition, Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community, curated by Dr Nontobeko Ntombela, bringing together the work of emerging photographers, students and mentors from its programme.

Now in its fourteenth year, Of Soul and Joy continues to grow from its home at Buhlebuzile Secondary School in Thokoza, where it has become a space for learning, mentorship and creative expression through photography. This year’s exhibition looks at the many ways communities come together through family, faith, memory, place, friendship and shared experience.

At the heart of Assemblies of Community is the idea that our stories do not exist in isolation. They run alongside one another, overlap, meet unexpectedly and create connections we may not always see at first. Through portraiture, landscape and documentary photography, the exhibition brings these threads into view.

Jabulani Dhlamini, founder and project manager of Of Soul and Joy, says:

“For us, photography has always been about more than taking pictures. It’s about staying close to the people and places that shape us, and creating images that allow communities to recognise themselves, speak for themselves and be seen with dignity.”

“This exhibition is timed to highlight the role young photographers from spaces like Of Soul and Joy play in reflecting on their communities and telling stories that provoke sobering reflections on social realities.”

Bekie Ntini, Training and Public Engagement Programming Manager at The Market Photo Workshop, says:

“The exhibition amplifies photography as both a voice and a powerful tool for storytelling and empowerment. The curated works capture the lives of ordinary people while drawing attention to the many social ills that communities continue to face and that demand meaningful change.

The exhibition features work by photographers from Of Soul and Joy, including 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 and Zwelibanzi Zwane.

It also includes important work from the Merafe Hostel project, developed through the continued efforts of Jabulani Dhlamini, Sibusiso Bheka and Thandile Zwelibanzi. The Merafe Hostel works expand the exhibition’s conversation around community, offering a closer look at a place often spoken about from the outside, but rarely seen through the eyes of the young people who live there.

Together, the works offer a layered view of everyday life from township streets and rural landscapes to family spaces, spiritual gatherings and personal moments of reflection. They show how young photographers are using photography to question belonging and how they might help others see it differently.

The Market Photo Workshop is a fitting home for this exhibition. As one of South Africa’s most important spaces for photographic learning and exchange, it offers a platform where young photographers can share their work with wider audiences, while stepping into a larger history of image-making in the country.

Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community invited audiences to witness young photographers taking part in a conversation about community, belonging and the power of creating together.

Exhibition details:

Title: Of Soul and Joy: XIV. Assemblies of Community

Public programmes:

20 June 2026 Public walkabout and high school day
16 July 2026 A roundtable at the Market Photo Workshop about “The Relevancy of Photography as a Tool of Social Change in South Africa Today“

About the Market Photo Workshop
The Market Photo Workshop is a Johannesburg-based school of photography, gallery and resource center for practicing photographers. Since its establishment in 1989, the school has played an integral role in the training and growth of photographers from South Africa and further afield, while promoting photography through exhibitions

About Of Soul and Joy
Based at Buhlebuzile Secondary School in Thokoza, Of Soul and Joy is a long-term photography project providing vocational training and creative platforms for South African youth. Now in its 14th year, it remains a vital engine for community storytelling and professional development. The programme was created by Rubis Mécénat and is supported by Easigas