Masimba Hwati's Interrogation Of Our Existence

There is always a need in all of us, that need to understand our very being, and the space and time we occupy. As urbanites in an African city, our need for this understanding is compounded by the complexities of living in a Harare that is under a state of metamorphosis.  However complex, there are artists who always seek to employ their creative talents to address these our concerns. One such artist, Masimba Hwati, 28, an award winning visual artist who recently launched his first solo exhibition at Gallery Delta along Livingstone Ave, entitled 'Facsimiles of energy',  interrogates  the mood and spirit of our time in history. 

"My work attempts to strike an equilibrium between the phenomena of dreams and expression and express a reality which resides in the desires and aspirations of the people." said Masimba.

Masimba uses different materials in his creation process, from old shoes, leather, clay, metal, wood and even bones. The works that emerge are meant to trigger alternative reality responses, and cause a rethink in the way we view contemporary existence. His work is that of exploring cultural, ethical, spiritual and social history of mankind with Africa as locus. He alludes to issues like documentation and archiving of African culture and history. In a way trying to explain what happens to a people in the context of trying to discover themselves. He says his work approach has always been characterized by campaign traits that seek to push the culturally complacent ideas from being consumerist to being innovative and solution hunting landmarks

As a way of using his art as a form of addressing the constant challenges of our society, Masimba started the Parirenyatwa Art Therapy program in 2002. In using the central referral Government Hospital in Harare, Masimba currently facilitate a volunteer based art therapy program for kids with cancer at the Parirenyatwa Hospital. Said Masimba, “This idea is a result and part of an answer to the question ‘What else can art be?  Can art save life?’ Since 2002 I have tried to harness the creative energy and process and use its therapeutic value”.

The artist also co-founded The Studio Harare Initiative. This initiative was born as part of an answer to the question of an incubate space for cutting edge artists and ideas that could not otherwise survive the conventional atmosphere. The studio is an interactive space and institution that is designed to review and ensure progressive art education. The core values on which the studio is found seek to define the artist as an accountable value-generating member of his community. His vision as the co-founder is to have the artist grow into a Donor and Lifesaver.

The recent Delta Gallery exhibition was funded by the British Council. According to Ignatius Mabasa, the British council’s deputy Director, "Life is a form of storytelling and Masimba's work speaks to us in the deep relationship of our lives, telling the stories of our lives and bringing some of us to our own understanding." The work on display took the creative artist some six years to put together.

The British Council has been involved with local arts since 1980, and Mabasa says the future of Zimbabwean art depend on stable inflow of visitors that open the gateway for international consumers and collectors of our art. If the International collectors/buyers are aware of young artists in Zimbabwe like Masimba, there will be follow up because they will be interested in the local artistic trends.

Masimba's work is not about clear cut villains and victims, but rather seeks to induce a paradigm shift in the individual's mindset about the way one views his/ her position in life. His is a different take on the very questions of who we are, wondering as to whom we could have been and the underlying meaning of life unseen by the conscious mind.       

"He works across mediums in sound, sculpture, video and performance. In 2015, his work was part of the Zimbabwean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 56th edition. He has had solo and group exhibitions in several coutnries, including Belgium, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Germany, United States, France, and Canada. His work is in the collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), Iziko South African National Gallery, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Scott White Contemporary, San Diego, Jorge M Perez collection, George R. Nnamdi Collection, Detroit, Michigan, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Gervanne & Matthias Leridon Collection, Paris. He is an honorary research fellow at Rhodes University Fine Arts Department in Grahamstown, SA. He is currently a PhD in Art practice candidate at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Wien. He holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is a Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture alumn class of 2019. He studied and taught sculpture at Harare Polytechnic Art school." https://shorturl.at/b139k