What About Me Makes You Uncomfortable?

Mickie Muchilwa, is a  visual artist, ALA graduate, and Diana Award Winner. Their work spans photography, mixed media, digital art, theatre, and video, challenging norms and reimagining the world with a focus on identity, beauty and detail.

In this self-portrait series, Mickie challenges narrow definitions of normalcy, questioning why those deemed different often lose their humanity. Drawing inspiration from the myth of the Were-Hyena, they highlight how societal norms force people to erase their identities.

They confront society's imposed imperfections, magnifying them to reclaim the term "monster." This portrait stands as a bold defiance against the constraints and expectations they've been told they must conform to.

Gazing directly at the observer, they challenge the audience with the question, “What about me makes you uncomfortable?”

Tapping into pre-colonial African beauty standards that embraced a broader vision of diversity, Mickie reclaims these inclusive values and uses them to envision a future defined by more expansive notions of humanity.