BY AGATHA CHUMA LOCAL visual artist and designer Paul Wade last week made a return to the National Arts Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Harare, for a solo exhibition, Cryptic Mark after about 14 years in collaborative exhibitions.
His comeback coincided with the ongoing exhibition of his old and recent artwork having last exhibited at Unexpected Protocols in 2008.
The Cryptic Mark exhibition seals Wade’s reputation as the country’s leading abstract painter.
Wade told NewsDay Life & Style that painting has been his life.
“I have lost count of the actual years I have been in this industry. I embarked on this ride a decade ago as a fabric and weaving artist and till now I am still riding,” he said.
“I have so many paintings because that is what I do almost each and every morning. Sometimes it could be anything and everything that comes to my mind, death, life, engagements, marriage and even the universe.”
Wade’s inspiration comes from what life brings, be it the air people breathe, or the sun they busk under.
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“Some of my paintings talk about my family, newly born babies or even the events taking place at my home. So yeah, I can safely agree that painting has been my life and career and I enjoy it a lot,” he said.
Some of Wade’s paintings on exhibition include Two Pages, The Engagement, Vision on the other side, Expansion of Mark, Avenues III, and Fallen Crucifix.
The artworks present pictures evoking different emotions.
Cryptic Mark can be described as a retrospective celebration, but not a particularly retro one.
Its focus is on recent paintings, which saw the artist move away from his engagement with politics and kinship, replacing it with structural variety and a broader palette through art.
What remains constant is the composure of Wade’s works, the vibrancy of their colours and the unwavering individuality of his execution.
- Follow Agatha on Twitter @AgathaChuma
