A powerful snapshot of the new South Africa

The image by the celebrated Pieter Hugo which greets visitors to this absorbing, entertaining and long overdue exhibition symbolises the new South Africa.

A plump white couple with staring blue eyes sit holding a black baby with the utmost tenderness - the reverse of a familiar era when blonde-haired Afrikaner children were cared for by black nannies. It is one of many statements in this eye-opening collection from 17 young contemporary photographers and older legends who include Hugo, Guy Tillim, Jodie Bieber and David Goldblatt, the long-term providers of visual information about their country.

The range of subjects covered includes ethnic diversity, lifestyles, fashion, religious and tribal ceremonies, relics of the race divide, and the new confidence about sexuality.

Internationally renowned Zanele Muhole introduces the show with a camp, bare midriffed boy wearing a jaunty trilby, one of a series of portraits representing the lesbian and gay communities.

Fashionistas delight in creating hybrid outfits from colonial and tribal history; The Brave Ones represent a popular strand influenced by 19th-century Scottish Highlanders' kilts and similar Zulu skirts. Two Brave boys pose by trees, while The Beulahs mix brief kilts with traditional bead jewellery. And in contrast, Kudzanai Chiurnai pulls on hip-hop culture, dressing his models in furs and gold for a satirical series titled The President. Two Muslim brothers, Hasan and Husain, document the Eid through theatrical self-portraits - killing, cooking and serving.

There is also an emphasis on the emotional power of monochrome for expressing the gravity of many life-styles. The quiet dignity of three orphan boys preparing food at home contrasts with the white kids smoking drugs on the street; the sharp portraits of ex-offenders and tradesmen by Goldblatt intentionally depict the spectrum of survival. Work from his four-decade archive also occupies a separate gallery, linking the apartheid era to the contemporary vignettes of this memorable, significant exhibition.

Until July 17. (020 7942 2000, vam.ac.uk)

Figures & fictions: contemporary south african photography
Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7