Gareth Nyandoro is one of the artists selected for the Pavilion of Zimbabwe, Venice Biennial.
Diamond Blues, 2014.
About:
Street life and the human interaction that accompanies it is a recurring theme in Gareth Nyandoro’s work. Around the world markets are public places, where vendors have a chat and present their wares in the most attractive way possible. In Harare, Zimbabwe this is done on a piece of cloth on the sidewalk, so vendors can quickly grab their things as soon as the police arrive to arrest them for trading illegally.
Hapana yekutamba totorova mupurisa wekanzuru ari kuda kuvhara musika, 2014.
Nyandoro combines images of vendors with found materials which he processes by employing idiosyncratic variations on traditional craft techniques. He weaves with paper. He produces prints not by using an engraved copper plate, but by cutting directly into the paper, sponging ink onto it and finally removing the top layer of paper with tape so the ink is only left behind in the cuts. He attempts to simulate the market environment by combining two-dimensional collages with three-dimensional objects. The fragile, ephemeral quality of his work references the temporary nature of the marketplace. (text Rijksakademie)
Installation View, Venice, 2015.
About:
In the chemistry workshop Rijksakademie resident Gareth Nyandoro (ZW, 1982) is experimenting with colorful lifelike polyester replicas of lollypops and fruit for his new work which will consist of a large scale collage painting combined with a market-booth-like display.
With El Anatsui in Venice.
With his work Nyandoro outlines a well-known and typical character in the urban everyday life: the vendor who displays his merchandise in front of him on a carpet, neatly arranged by color, form, and sort. Beneath the layer of his joyful pop art palette lies a more hidden satirical en critical message. In Harare street vending is illegal. The government clears the streets regularly. Informal traders trickle back but are forced to play hide-and-seek as police prowl the pavements on the lookout for illegal operators. (text Rijksakademie, Frederieke Beunk)
