Takunda Regis Billiat
Born 1990, Harare, Zimbabwe
Lives and works in Harare, Zimbabwe
About:
Having graduated in 2014 from National Gallery of Zimbabwe Visual Art Studio, specializing in painting, Billiat has begun working in three dimensions as a result of his artistic research into the role of religious and spiritual traditions in contemporary Zimbabwe. While retaining the formal elements of painting such as compositions and color Billiat breaks out of the frame to grapple viscerally and tangibly with Christianity and the Bible as a social construct, ringing the alarm bell on the rise of charismatic churches in Zimbabwe, with their prophets exploiting the ignorance of the people of their own religion’s true content.
When I look at Zimbabwe today I see us a people, who are divided – divided in our quest for material wealth, a quest to have more, a quest to stand out – a quest which leaves us more alone and poorer in every way.
Apocalyps Now, 2016.
In my work I look at the conflict between the things we look to for solutions and which we value but which in turn create divisions between people, who were in the past united by love and shared understanding of the world.
The vacuum of excess, 2016.
The proverb Wonde kutsvuka kunze mukati rizere masvosve, is important to me. It teaches us that not all that glitters is gold. Shiny leather bound books may look appealing and may make us look down on our traditions, which are bound with the soil and dirt, but if we look inside and reflect deeply on what we need as culture and as a people, our future depends on us being in touch with our past and respecting who we really are, rather than chasing all that looks modern, progressive and modern.
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