Masimba Hwati was born in 1982 in Highfield, Zimbabwe. He studied at the Harare Polytechnic from 2001 to 2003 where he majored in Ceramics and Painting. He currently lives and works in Harare.
Strong People Evolve, 2015.
About:
Working as a multidisciplinary artist, Hwati describes himself as an interrogator of postcolonial “hangover cultures”. His work explores the transformation and evolvement of knowledge systems that are indigenous to his own cultural background whilst experimenting with the symbolism and perceptions attached to cultural objects. With a focus on sculptural works, his process involves collecting historical, culturally imbued items, altering them and placing them into a contemporary urban context.
Strong People Evolve II, 2015.
Urban Skin II, 2015.
Urban Skin III, 2015.
Trepanation, 2015.
Hwati presented his first solo exhibition Facsimiles of Energy in 2011. Before that, his work formed part of the Harare Biennale at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in 2005. Important group exhibitions include Vibes, Pledges and Oracles, National Gallery of Zimbabwe in 2007, Colour Africa: Zeitgenössische Kunst Aus Simbabwe, Kulturallmende in Munich, Germany in 2011 and Between the Sheets: 2012 Artists’ Books Exhibition at Gallery East in North Freemantle, Australia among others. In 2012, Masimba received an award for Multi Media – Tradition, Family and Religion – sponsored by the European Union. His latest solo exhibition titled; Quantumlogik, showed at Gallery Delta in Harare. The accompanying exhibition catalogue included a foreword of endorsement by The Embassy of Switzerland. (text/courtesy SMAC Gallery Cape Town)