In Shalom Kufakwatenzi’s practice, textile, fashion, music, and performance are not separate disciplines, but different manifestations of the same creative energy. The Harare-based artist spoke about childhood loneliness, searching for and redefining identity, returning to her Christian faith, and the challenges of sustaining an artistic practice in Zimbabwe.
Amanda Shingirai Mushate’s paintings resemble maps, where fluid lines and vibrant color blocks unfold into complex universes. As she explains, they are emotional landscapes, charting her past, present, and imagined future. Their fluidity and sensitive rhythm also convey a distinctly female experience, while for the artist painting is a way of following music, rhythm, and flow—her brushstrokes moving fast or slow, in tune with the song.
First Floor Gallery Harare presents Maoko Maranda, a new body of work by Zimbabwean artist Tashinga Majiri. Here, hands are never just hands — they become metaphors for identity, memory, and resilience. They carry stories of labor and struggle, but also of tenderness and creation. In this conversation, Majiri also speaks about hands as characters, the rhythm linking his poetry and paintings, and the dialogue between tradition and contemporary life.
When I first saw his paintings, I was fascinated by how Nigerian artist Akindele John balances the ordinary and the sacred.
I believe in people’s freedom to express themselves and move through life without fear
I can only tell my story, I don’t want to speak for anyone else
Sometimes showing humanity is like a piece of art
By recognizing our shared humanity, we may discover something greater than ourselves