Celebrated Zimbabwean visual artist Chikonzero Chazunguza has urged graduands to reject substance abuse as a source of creative inspiration, calling instead for discipline, continuous learning and professional integrity as the foundations of sustainable artistic careers.
Addressing 18 graduands at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) School of Visual Arts and Design last week, Chazunguza described art as a demanding calling that requires self-control, intellectual rigour and lifelong commitment.
“Once alcohol becomes your inspiration, you are gone,” he warned.
While acknowledging that artists often operate under intense emotional and intellectual pressure, Chazunguza said genuine artistic growth came from clarity of mind, research and sustained effort rather than chemical escape.
“It is not enough to simply avoid substance abuse. You have to perform. You have to work,” he said.
Chazunguza reminded graduates that completing formal training marks the beginning — not the end — of a far more challenging journey, one that demands professionalism, ethical practice, an understanding of contracts and constant exposure to new ideas.
Having spent nearly eight years in formal art education, he stressed that learning is an ongoing process.
“I am still learning,” the visual artist told the graduates, urging them to resist complacency and continue studying, researching and refining their craft.
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The graduation ceremony coincided with the opening of Green Shoots, an exhibition showcasing works by the graduating class. NGZ deputy director and curator Veronica Fadzai Muchemwa described the exhibition as both a culmination of academic training and an emergence into professional practice.
According to Muchemwa, the exhibition reflects rigorous engagement with theory, practice, material processes and contemporary discourse, positioning the graduates as socially responsive and critically grounded practitioners.
The curatorial statement for Green Shoots, authored by the graduating students, frames the exhibition as a celebration of growth, experimentation and creative identity.
Curator for Education and Public Programming Senzeni Tandani said the title symbolised renewal and promise, capturing a transitional moment as emerging artists step confidently into the wider art world.
Among the exhibitors, Chipochangu Dzimano presented photographic and sculptural works that explore perception and memory through familiar urban faces and symbolic
forms.
One of the graduands Spencer Kalolozi exhibited Kana Nguva Yakwana Hapana Anoramba, a contemplative piece reflecting on mortality and inevitability.
