MULTI-AWARD-winning found objects artist Tawanda Takura describes himself as a good-humoured simple guy who enjoys creating and exploring places and spaces.
NewsDay Life & Style caught up with the ever-smiling energetic creative, who took to social media to express his excitement of winning the National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) 2024 Outstanding Mixed Media Award extensively on social media.
Takura first hogged the limelight when he was tasked by South African curators to challenge Xenophobia and has since made several other outstanding achievements which have compelled him to set up creative tourist attractions in his home town Chitungwiza.
“I am humbled by the response l got from the audience and art enthusiast. However, it’s difficult to single out a piece to say this is my favourite, l feel as though they are an extension of me. Therefore, it’s difficult to choose since they are coming from a single source. But l always enjoy conversations with people because they seem to have different feelings and reactions towards every single work.
“The work that won is titled Sins of our forefathers it is a work about 3m in length, made from discarded municipal gloves, shoe lust and winnowing basket. This work reflects on the past events that always seem to recur in different time zones. Our fathers used to do some practices like (kuromba) in the name of fortifying their homes or places in society’s hierarchies, but these always come at a price which younger generations are left to deal with these abominations after they are gone,” Takura said.
Takura has in most cases gone beyond the imaginations of many by being disruptive. His artistry revolves around broken shoes, gloves, tyres and scrap metal which he shapes into stunning installations which draw the interest of industrialists or loosen tensions of grief laden or depressed persons.
Takura successfully took part in a residency at the Nirox Sculpture Park in South Africa in 2021 and was invited again to partake in a group exhibition themed Good Neighbours at the same venue. He also participated in the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) Harare threefold exhibition, which included a retrospective display of Ndiani Mambo: An Anthony Bumhira Retrospective, A Gathering: Katundu Katurikwa by Tawanda Takura and Love and Other Acts of Will, a collection made from a selection of best artworks by the National Gallery School of Visual Art and Design students in Harare.
“The biggest challenge that we face in Zimbabwe for now is that the traffic of tourists who come to make bulk purchases of art is a bit too limited. For now, artificial intelligence has enabled me to communicate effectively with my customers and friends from all corners of the globe,” he added.
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Takura implored locals to spare time to view exhibitions at local galleries, saying the exhibitions help people to appreciate and generate solutions for the betterment of their own environments.
Reflecting on his exhibition on Xenophobia in Mzansi, Takura said: “The exhibition focused on examining relationships with our neighbouring countries to foster peace, commonwealth and questioning issues of borders and what it means to have neighbours as well as dealing with subjects such as xenophobia and land reform. The exhibition featured 30 artists from Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe with Moffat Takadiwa and myself representing the country.”
Takura left a legacy through his installation Rurimi Kamwenje.
“For this exhibition I created a seven-metre long artwork and installed it at about 3m height, 2m wide and 2m long. The artwork is titled Rurimi Kamwenje (your tongue is like fire) which is made out of shoe tongues, shoe lust and a mousetrap to which I was exploring the use of our tongue, what we say and how we say it turns to shape our actions and we become entangled by our own tongues. I was focusing on xenophobic issues which have affected us dearly and have made visiting, shopping in foreign lands a nightmare. Borders are man-made barriers which we have allowed to define humanity,” Takura explained.
