Biography
Moffat Takadiwa

"I want to start a dialogue around colonial residue in Africa".

MT

Born in 1983, Moffat Takadiwa lives and works on the outskirts of Harare in Mbare, one of the largest recycling centers in the country and an important hub for the informal economy. As one of the most acclaimed artists on the emerging African art scene, Takadiwa is known for his conceptual and intricate wall sculptures that are made from discarded materials, which often include spray-can debris, bottle caps and computer keyboard pieces.
 
Exemplified in many of his works Takadiwa’s practice draws attention on themes of spirituality, colonialism, cultural identity and environmental issues. Belonging to the post-independence generation, Since the earliest days of his artistic career, he has used his practice as a platform for the rehabilitation of his community, working with young local artists and designers, with a view to founding the world first artistic center based on the use of reclaimed materials. Takadiwa skilfully transforms the results of post-colonial disregard into free-flowing, earth-toned mosaics and other criss-cross patterns that connect us to current movements in Africa designed to decolonise the cultural landscape. Initially,  the artist used found materials due to inaccessibility of what is considered ‘conventional mediums’ (like oils, acrylic and canvases) during difficult times in Zimbabwe. Takadiwa admits that, “Now, I think found materials help me say what I want to say…I use them more like evidence of how my society is living.”After gathering great quantities of these small objects and sorting them by color and shape, the artist weaves these discarded scraps into rich wall hangings. Once suspended, these post-industrial fabrics, through their intricate beauty, acquire an aura of ritual or totemic artifacts. Bottle caps, lids, medicine caps, toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, rings and other disposable, everyday objects are given longevity and a second chance, by being weaved into organic forms and becoming part of detailed compositions that speak of Zimbabwean life and tradition.
 
When describing his work, Takadiwa tells, “I feel my country background still dominates in my work. Reminiscences of tobacco farms and issues of the land and the environment are all influenced from my farm background.”
In one of the largest landfills in the country, Takadiwa found beauty and his artistic aesthetic while shining light on the massive dumping grounds that cripple local industries in Zimbabwe, encouraging the viewer to question consumerism, commodity distribution and the imbalances in trade.  The assembled tapestries play on the contrast between necessities and our daily vanities, questioning the distance between abundance and poverty. 
 
Exhibitions
Solo & Group Show
Moffat Takadiwa

Moffat Takadiwa CV

 

EXHIBITIONS

Solo Show

2023

Vestiges of Colonialism, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare (ZA)Zero Zero, Semiose, Paris (FR)

2022

The Bull, Semiose, Paris (FR)
Brutalized Language, Nicodim Gallery, New York (US)

2021

VaForomani ndimi mawondonga purazi / Mr. Foreman, you have destroyed the land, Semiose, Paris (FR)

Craft Contemporary, Los Angeles (US)

2019

Son of The Soil, Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles (US)

2018

Framed in Colonial Lenses, Raw Spot Gallery, Rhodes University, Grahamstown (ZA)

2017

Say Hello to English, Tyburn Gallery, London (UK)

2016

Across Borders, Whatiftheworld, Città del Capo, ZA 

2015

Foreign Objects, Tyburn Gallery, Londra, GB
Local Foreign Products, Gallery Special Projects, FNB 

Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, ZA 

2012

Africa Not Reachable! First Floor Gallery, Harare, ZW

 

Group Show

2024 (upcoming)

Zimbabwe Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia 2024.

2023 

UNUSUAL MATERIALS AND FORMS FOR A NEW AESTHETIC, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan (IT)

2022

Imagine !, FITE (Festival International des Textiles Extraordinaires), Musée Bargoin, Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
Nous sommes tous des lichens, Musée d'art contemporain de la Haute Vienne - Château de Rochechouart (FR)

2021

Old Growth - New Decay: Environmental Justice, Environmentalism and Sustainability, Guggenheim Gallery, Orange (US)

2017

La Sfinge Nera: dal Marocco al Madagascar, Primo Marella Gallery, Milano, IT
Chinafrika, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, DE
Chinafrika, Kunstfest Weimar, DE
De Nature en Sculpture, Villa Datris Foundation, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, FR
Le jour qui vient, Galerie des Galeries, Galeries Lafayette, Parigi, FR
Collector’s Stage, Art Stage Singapore, SG

2016
Dear Europa…, Whatiftheworld, Città del Capo, ZA

2015
Broken English, Tyburn Gallery, Londra, GB
Foreign Bodies, Whatiftheworld, Città del Capo, ZA

2014
Uncertain Terms, Whatiftheworld Gallery, Città del Capo, ZA
BATIK d’AFRIQUE, Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York, US
Brand New Second Hand, Vigo Gallery, Londra, GB

2013
Good News exhibition, New University, Lisbona, PR
No Limits, HIFA, Harare, ZW

2012
Inexactly This, Kunstvlaai Festival of Independence, Amsterdam, NL
Wars/Karas, Octopus Projects, Riga, LV

2011
Harare beyond Words, Gallery H, Bangkok, TH
Harare Paris, Pavé d’Orsay, Parigi, FR

2010
Facet Zimbabwe Now, Delta Gallery, ZW
Avignon University, Avignon, FR

 

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