Thursday evening, the 16th of March, Vestiges of Colonialism, renowned visual artist Moffat Takadiwa's first solo exhibition in Zimbabwe in over a decade officially opened.
An exhibition aimed at not only changing narratives on the meaning of visual art but igniting conversations on how colonialism affected art & creativity.
The official opening saw the National Gallery filled to capacity. Vestiges of Colonialism makes it easy to see why some of his pieces like "The Tengwe Farms" have been acquired by art collectors like Jay Z, among other high-profile figures.
After like 10 years of exhibiting in international spaces, the first thing which came into my mind when I was thinking about this show was sculpture was a big thing in the 50s, so I had to change narratives around what is sculpture. One of the things I have been doing or I’m doing is I have introduced soft sculpture. The soft sculpture is more about arranging objects and I have introduced things like vegetables. So, there are so many elements. - Moffat Takadiwa to ZBC
Moffat Takadiwa creates large-scale sculptural pieces from ordinarily discarded materials, including everything from computer waste, aerosol cans and spray bottles, to toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes. He weaves together these small everyday objects to make impressive organic forms evocative of jewel-encrusted excess or a ritualistic kind of minimalism. The artist’s choice of materials communicates his concern with issues around consumerism, inequality, post-colonialism and the environment.
Part of the post-independence generation of artists in Zimbabwe, Takadiwa has exhibited extensively across major institutions in Zimbabwe as well as internationally.
Recent solo presentations include:
Framed in Colonial Lenses, Raw Spot Gallery, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa (2018)
Say Hello to English, Tyburn Gallery, London (2017);
Foreign Objects, Tyburn Gallery, London, UK (2015)
Foreign Bodies, Whatiftheworld, Cape Town, South Africa (2016)
Local Foreign Products at Gallery Special Projects, FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa (2015)
Africa Not Reachable! at First Floor Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe (2012).
The artist’s work forms part of international collections including:
Art Jameel, United Arab Emirates
Foundation de 11 Lijnen, Belgium
Shanti Art Collection; Villa Datris Foundation, France
Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA), France and South Africa
Fondazione Golinelli, Italy.