JULIA RUNGE
Shebeen Queens

The photographic work "Shebeen Queens" is dedicated to the illegal bar culture of southern Africa and its predominantly female owners—the Shebeen Queens. In response to colonial politics and apartheid, these places initially served as a refuge for indigenous people, who were persecuted in the public sphere. These bars, which first started in township living rooms, spread and grew in the shadow of illegality to become commercial bars and subcultural hubs.
The project "Shebeen Queens” focuses on the female entrepreneurs who have been able to assert themselves as strong, emancipated women within this often dangerous scene.
In my photos, I immerse myself in the world of these places and - from the viewpoint of an observer - tell analogous and decelerated, quite and confidential stories about these places and their owners. In pursuing this project, I hope to enable a new perspective on contemporary phenomena within the local society.

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