WYCLIFFE Mundopa is attracting glory in today’s visual arts circles and evidence of this is his solo exhibition currently running at the First Floor Gallery in Harare.
BY SIMBARASHE MANHANGO OWN CORRESPONDENT
Unlike his contemporaries that went further to acquire quality education to practice proper art, Mundopa is a self-taught artist.
Academically, he studied art up to Ordinary Level, but these diverse collections are the efforts of just one.
When viewing Mundopa’s portfolio for the first time one gets under the impression that the works presented are the creations of several talented artists. Oil and acrylic on cardboard and on un-stretched sown canvas; ink and acrylic on paper; contemporary mixed paintings and obsessive circle drawings, are just some of the styles the artist uses.
Internally driven and emotionally charged, his works transcend their subject matter to see human lives through fractures and junctures of tradition and change. Clashes of moral codes and the economic strains are some of the margins from which his works are derived.
Mundopa’s works also speak volumes about the real issues affecting humanity today.
For instance, the piece The Witch Hunter relinquishes the experiences that men go through when they go out hunting and in search of ladies of the night.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
While they are hunters during their escapades, the irony derived from his works depicts men falling prey to ladies.
Mundopa in this case is a poet of Zimbabwe’s women, able to see the dreams in the nightmares and the courage to acknowledge pain rather than euphemism of despair. In an interview with NewsDay, Mundopa said the process of making art pushed him the most rather than the exhibition.
“It always feels good to exhibit your works, but for me, the process of making art inspires me a lot. It challenges me to come up with more creative works that are problem-free from economic pressures and mainly from my critics,” Mundopa said.
“Most of my exhibitions have no theme and that gives me the free play to work around freely and avoid limiting myself.”
Mundopa’s exceptional works and skill has won him acclaim with both collectors and critics.
Though he has never toured a foreign country to directly exhibit, his works have been taken as far as Australia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, among many others.
“It is amazing, considering that this has earned me a substantial amount to make a living and finance my work and most importantly this has gained me exposure,” he said.
However, Mundopa added that he was still in the process of rediscovering himself as a professional artist.
“My wish is to go to university abroad and attain a degree in art because in this industry there comes a time when education is brought to the stage,” Mundopa said. “This will help me to keep alive my dream and quest to reach the next level.”
His solo exhibition currently on display at the First Floor Gallery runs up to March 20.
