AWARDS
2022 Awarded The Ellen Kuzwayo Council Award 2022 for “His substantial body of art and photography that helped catalyse political resistance for change.
2021 Awarded Honorary Doctorate for Art and Design from the Tswana University of Technology 12 Nov 2021
2018 Awarded the South African National Order of Ikhamanga (silver)
Life Time Achievement Award for the Preservation of South African History, Western Cape Government Department of Arts, Culture and Sports
2015 Arts and Cultural Trust: Lifetime Achievement for Visual Arts :
Made member of the Department of Arts and culture Living Legends Project
1993 First Prize, “Images of Africa" African Arts Festival Denmark
1995 Awarded scholarship to travel and photograph in Denmark, by Danish government
1996 Awarded scholarship to travel in India by Indian Government 2003
Awarded citation for Contribution to Resistance Media by Satayagraha Magazine
Awarded The Sir Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Award, First Prize "Art South Africa To-Day".
1968 Natal Society of Arts Annual Award
1965 The Sir Basil Schonland Award, “Arts South Africa Today Exhibition”.
PUBLICATIONS
2017 Seedtimes by Omar Badsha, Published by South African History Online
2012 One Hundred Years of The ANC: Debating Liberation Histories Today. Edited by Arianna Lissoni, Jon Soske, Natasha Erlank, Noor Nieftagodien and Omar Badsha.
2010 ‘Bonani Africa 2010 Catalogue.’ Published by SAHO. Curated by Omar Badsha, Jeeva Rajgopaul, Mads Norgaard.
2002 Amulets and Dreams: War, Youth and Change in Africa. Published by SAHO, ISS and UNISA Press, August 2002.
2001 Imperial Ghetto: Ways of Seeing in a South African City. Published by South African History Online, Pretoria.
2001 With Our Own Hands: Alleviating Poverty in South Africa. Published by Department of Public Works.
1989 Beyond the Barricades: Popular Resistance in South Africa. Co-authored with Alex Harris, Gideon Mendel and Paul Weinberg. Published by Kliptown Books, London and Aperture Publications, New York.
1986 South Africa: The Cordoned Heart. Edited by Omar Badsha. Text by Prof. Francis Wilson. Published by Gallery Press, Cape Town and W.W.Norton and Co., New York.
1985 Imijondolo: A Photographic Essay on Forced Removals in the Inanda District of South Africa, Natal. Published by Afrapix.
1984 90 Fighting Years: A Photographic History of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). Co-edited with Roy Padayachee. Published by NIC.
1978 Letter to Farzanah. Published by the Institute of Black Research.
EXHIBITIONS
1965 “Art South Africa Today” - Durban Municipal Art Gallery (DMAG), Durban. Group exhibition.
1965 Art South Africa Today” - Durban Municipal Art Gallery (DMAG), Durban. Group exhibition.
1968 Artists Gallery, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
NSA Annual Members Exhibition - NSA, Durban. Group exhibition.
1969 “Art South Africa” Today Durban Art Gallery.
Artists Gallery, Cape Town. Solo exhibition.
1970 Graphic Work by Natal Artists - DMAG, Durban. Group exhibition.
1971 Omar Badsha and Wiseman Mbambo - NSA, Durban. Group exhibition.
Omar Badsha, David Cremer, D. Wilmot - Nuffield Arcade, Durban. Group exhibition.
“Arts South Africa Today, 1971” - DMAG, Durban. Group exhibition. NSA Gallery Group Exhibition. Durban
1972 Omar Badsha, Mahomed Timol and Duke Ketye - NSA Gallery, Durban. Group exhibition.
Natal Contemporary Art - DMAG, Durban. Group exhibition.
1978 Some South African Photographers - DMAG, Durban. Group exhibition.
1979 "Letter to Farzanah." NSA Gallery, Durban. Solo exhibition.
Letter to Farzanah." Pietermaritzburg Public Library, Pietermaritzburg. Solo exhibition.
1980 "You Have Struck a Rock: Women and Resistance in South Africa." Durban and Cape Town. Group exhibition.
1981 Market Photographic Gallery, Johannesburg. Solo exhibition. “Imperial Ghetto” -
University of Durban, Westville. Group exhibition.
1982 "We Photograph." DMAG, Durban. Group exhibition.
"South Africa: Photo Statements," South African National Gallery, Cape Town and National Touring Exhibition. Group exhibition.
Culture and Resistance Conference, Gaborone, Botswana. Group exhibition.
Creative Arts Society, University of Durban, Westville. Group exhibition.
Cultural Festival, Bosmont Township, Johannesburg. Group exhibition.
Cultural Festival, University of Natal, Allan Taylor Residence, KwaZulu - Natal. Group exhibition.
Imperial Ghetto. 6 September 1982. Nuffield Gallery, Durban. Group exhibition.
1982 "South Africa Through the Lens." Staffrider photographic exhibition, Market Photo Gallery, Johannesburg. Group exhibition.
History Conference, University of Natal, KwaZulu-Natal. Solo exhibition.
"Imijondolo." Market Photo Gallery, Johannesburg. Solo exhibition.
"Imijondolo." Merebank Public Library, Durban. Solo exhibition.
"Omar Badsha with Peter Mackenzie." Botswana National Gallery, Gaborone, Botswana. Group exhibition.
Stockholm Culture Centre, Sweden. Group exhibition.
1984 “Omar Badsha and Paul Weinberg.” NSA Gallery, Durban. Group exhibition.
Staffrider Annual Exhibition. Market Photo Gallery, Johannesburg. Group exhibition.
History Workshop, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Group exhibition. David Goldblatt and Paul Alberts.
"South Africa: The Cordoned Heart." University of Cape Town, Cape Town. Group show of South African photographers.
"Nichts Wird Uns Trennen." Frankfort, Germany. Group show of South African photographers.
1986 "South Africa: The Cordoned Heart." International Centre for Photography, New York, USA. Group exhibition. *This show travelled in the USA for nearly ten years.
"South Africa: The Cordoned Heart." Photographers Gallery, London. Group exhibition.
"South Africa in Conflict – End Conscription Campaign." Baxter Theatre, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
Weekly Mail Book Week, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
1987 History Workshop, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Group exhibition. Shell Gallery, Cape Town. Solo exhibition.
"Beyond the Hidden Camera.” Culture in Another South Africa Festival, Amsterdam, Holland. Group exhibition.
1988 Alternative Museum, New York, USA. Group exhibition.
Children on the Frontline Conference, Harare, Zimbabwe. Group exhibition.
Human Rights Conference, Port Elizabeth. Group exhibition.
Artists for Human Rights Exhibition, Durban. Group exhibition.
Documentary Photography Conference, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
United Women’s Congress (UWCO) Festival, Samaj Centre, Cape Town.
Group exhibition.
Staffrider 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Market Gallery, Johannesburg. Group exhibition.
1990 "Omar Badsha, David Goldblatt and David Lurie." Portfolio Gallery London. Group exhibition.
"South Africa: Beyond the Barricades." Zabalala Festival, London. Travelled to Paris and New York, Group exhibition.
"On Education." University of Cape Town African Studies Centre, Cape Town. Solo exhibition
1991 ANC National Conference, Durban. Group exhibition.
1992 "Visual Arts Group." Travelling exhibition: Zolani Centre, Nyanga East; Uluntu Centre, Guguletu; Manenberg Peoples Centre, Cape Town; South African Association of Arts, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
1993 Images from Africa." Denmark. Group exhibition.
1995 "Peoples Portraits." South African National Arts Gallery, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
"Images of Denmark." Copenhagen City Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark. Solo exhibition.
1996 National Women’s Day Exhibition, House of Parliament, Cape Town. Group exhibition. Cape Town Festival, Centre for the Book, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
"Portraits." South African National Gallery, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
"25 Years of Photojournalism." Cape Town, Johannesburg and U.K. Group exhibition.
"Photo Synthesis: Contemporary South African Photography," South African National Gallery. Group exhibition. Grahamstown Festival, Grahamstown. Group exhibition.
“Imperial Ghetto." South African High Commission, Pakistan. Solo exhibition.
1998 "Eye Africa – African Photography 1840-1998." International travelling exhibition, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town Group exhibition.
2000 "Portrat Afrika." Haaus de Kulture der Weld, Berlin, Germany. Solo exhibition.
African Identities Conference, Adelaide University, Australia. Solo exhibition.
2001 "Imperial Ghetto." DMAG, Durban. Solo exhibition.
"Narratives, Graven Images and Rituals." Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town. Solo exhibition.
"With Our Own Hands." University of South Africa, Pretoria. Group exhibition.
2002 "Shooting Resistance," Axis Gallery, New York, USA. Group exhibition.
"Imperial Ghetto," Alliance Ethio-Francaise, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Group exhibition.
"Amulets and Dreams: War Youth and Change in Africa," International travelling exhibition: DMAG, USA and Canada Group exhibition.
"Bonani Africa Festival of Photography," Museum Africa, Johannesburg and Pretoria Art Gallery, Pretoria. Group exhibition.
2003 "August 9 Celebrating Women." Durban University, Westville. Group exhibition.
Edited FREEDOMza - editor photographic exhibition. Freedom. Essays by 6 South African photographers documenting the lives of 15 secondary school learners from urban and rural communities and representing the broad spectrum of South African society. This project was a joint venture between SAHO and the Department of Education. The exhibition was held shown at the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town (2003).April 27 celebrations
2004 Oslo, Norway. Solo exhibition.
"Narratives, Rituals and Graven Images," Saba Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran. Solo exhibition.
"A Place Called Home." Travelling exhibition: Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg. Solo exhibition.
Group exhibition, Oman. December 2004.
“Ties that Bind.” Durban Art Gallery. Group exhibition.
2005 “Two Lenses – Two Visions – One Experience.” With Peter Magubane. The Museo de La Ciudad, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
"ReVisions: Expanding the Narrative of South African Art." South African National Gallery, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
"A Place Called Home." Touring exhibition: NSA, Durban; South African National Gallery, Cape Town and Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg. Group exhibition.
2006 University of De Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Group exhibition.
"The World of Small Things." DMAG, Durban. Solo exhibition.
"Black Brown White: Photography from South Africa." Kunsthalle, Wien, Germany. Group exhibition.
2007 “Africa South.” Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
2009 “Precedents and Currents." Mayibuye Centre, University of Western Cape, Bellville. Group exhibition.
"South-South: Interruptions & Encounters." Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Hart House, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Group exhibition.
2010 "Samsara: A Continuous Pursuit." DMAG, Durban. Group exhibition.
"Under the Umdoni Tree: The Art of Omar and Ebrahim Badsha." DMAG, Durban and University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Group exhibition.
"From Pierneef to Gugulective, 1910-2010." South African National Gallery, Cape Town. Group exhibition.
Bonani Africa 2010 Photography Festival and conference, Group exhibition, Cape Town.
2012 "Walking on Water." District Six Museum, Homecoming Centre, Cape Town. Solo exhibition.
“Rise and Fall of Apartheid.” International Centre for Photography, New York. Group exhibition.
2013 “Umlambo – 100 years: Commemorating 100 Years of the Land Act.” Iziko South African National Gallery.
2015 “Seedtime” - Omar Badsha Retrospective – Iziko South African National Gallery
24 April – 2 August
“Seedtime” - Durban 22 September – January 2016
2016 “Seedtime” - April 2016 - November 2017 Museum Africa
Group show “Between States of Emergency” Nelson Mandela Centre for Memory
2017 “A Short History of South African Photography Fotografia Europea” - the annual festival of photography held in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Organised by the Fondazione Palazzo Magnani The theme for the festival was ‘Time Maps: Memory, Archives, Future’. 5 May 2017-9 July 2017.
Three exhibitions in three venues on the Island of Reunion 11 December – 28 December. Seedtimes Book Launch.
2018 “Seedtimes launch book” - A4 Arts Foundation, Cape Town.
“South Africa - The Cordoned Heart, Exhibition” April, University of Cape Town.
2023 February - Exhibited at the 15 Sharjah Biannual Exhibition, Sharjah