Suburban
MOFFAT Takadiwa’s “Vestiges of Colonialism” exhibition is currently on at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
The exhibition officially opened on March 16, 2023 and can be viewed between Tuesdays to Sundays 8am-16.30pm.
Who is Moffat Takadiwa?
Moffat Takadiwa was born in 1983 in Karoi, Zimbabwe and currently lives and works in Harare.
He graduated with a BA Honors from Harare Polytechnic College, Zimbabwe in 2008.
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).
Selected group exhibitions include Ex Africa – storie e identità di un’arte universale, Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna, Italy (2019); KUBATANA: An Exhibition with Contemporary African Artists, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Oslo, Norway (2019); Material Insanity, Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden (MACAAL), Marrakech, Morocco (2019); Language is the Only Homeland, Nest, The Hague, Netherlands (2018); The Eye Sees Not Itself, Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2018); Right at the Equator, Depart Foundation, Malibu, CA, USA (2018); On being alone and unbearable loneliness, Watou Art Festival, Belgium (2017); Chinafrika, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, Germany (2017); De Nature en Sculpture, Villa Datris Foundation, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France (2017); Le jour qui vient, curated by Marie-Ann Yemsi, Galerie des Galeries, Galeries Lafayette, Paris (2017); Dear Europa…, Whatiftheworld, Cape Town (2016); When Tomorrow Comes, Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg and Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town (2016); Broken English,Tyburn Gallery, London (2015); UNcertain Terms, Whatiftheworld, Cape Town (2014); Warp & Woof, The Hole, New York, USA (2014); and National Gallery of Zimbabwe Annual Show, Harare, Zimbabwe (2014).
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; and Fondazione Golinelli, Italy.
On Thursday March 16, 2023, Takadiwa’s “Vestiges of Colonialism” exhibition was officially opened at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
“We appreciate you all for coming through in your numbers to view the exhibition.
“The exhibition is now open for viewing, the gallery opens Tuesdays-Sundays 8am-16.30pm,” said the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
On Saturday March 18, 2023 Takadiwa led an artist walkabout of his exhibition during which he took art lovers through his art pieces. – National Art Gallery/Suburban Reporter
