Landscape 1st place winner

I was born in Zimbabwe where my mother and her mother's mother's mothers were born. My family and I fled to South Africa in the early hours of the morning when I was almost 10 years old. These alien landscapes are still foreign to me. Yet I am reminded that I'm the alien here. We struggle to feel safe or impart meaning on them. 'Chipoko' is the Shona word for the soul, breath or ghost of a person or a spirit and is embodied here in each sculpture. This artwork is the visual navigation of an unknown, unplaced and inherent feeling of a deep and drifting nostalgia. An attempt to summon my ancestry for guidance and belonging. Strong,tall,dark: A visit from my mothers. Each sculpture is a uniquely designed totem evident symbolically in their African shape,simplicity,structure and shadows they cast. Peaceful imagery on hostile grounds. This body of work exists as the documentation and final form of a physical performance. As part of this performance, I designed and installed six 3-meter high wooden totemic sculptures of varying forms on highly restricted South African military bases. A performance navigating the idea of safety, afrophobia, African land, access, belonging and connection.

2020:
Foam Magazine Top 20 Global Emerging Artists
Best single image award at the International Pride Photo Competition
Exhibition in New York and London with VSCO
Upcoming exhibition in London in May 2020
Upcoming exhibition in Berlin in September 2020
Upcoming exhibition in Paris in November 2020