The Unbearable Lightness of Being

''Suzman’s meditative portraits and definitive South African aesthetic are born out of a passionate fidelity to the grittiness and immediacy of lived life.  Whether it is the backstage disappointment of a beauty contestant never crowned or the frank gaze of a Xhosa initiate, human susceptibility is viewed with a compassion and frankness. An arresting tension between vulnerability and self-declaration in her subjects is a signature element of her work.'

Visual culture writer Alexandra Dodd, author of David Goldblatt: The Last Interview (Steidl, 2019)

All images © 1997-2025 Caroline Suzman