Tawanda Takura Biography Statement.
Tawanda Takura born in 1989 in Chitungwiza, Seke Village.
Primary Education: Seke7
Secondary Education: Mandedza High School and Makumbe High School
Art Education: Village Unhu Open Studios
Exhibitions:
Group exhibitions at Village Unhu, Harare since 2012 to date
Group Exhibitions at Gallery Delta, Harare since 2014 to date
The Year of the Chinese Horse, The Corridor Gallery, Harare, awarded first prize, 2014
Annual Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery awarded overall first prize, 2014
Two man show, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, 2015
Augusto Neto Exhibition – one-man show, at the Angolan Embassy in Harare, 2015
I am a sculptor who works in assemblage art with found objects. I work with old discarded shoes. I am an art enthusiast since childhood but took it as a profession in 2012, l was introduced to Village Unhu by Georgina Maxim and since then have been mentored by Misheck Masamvu.
I work with old shoes because they have a deeper meaning; they absorb the previous owner’s soul and energy and have a certain poise of the owner in their structure. This somehow brings me closer to understanding the ordeals of the owners through their shoe. Also as a self-taught shoemaker, seeing shoes and shoe products thrown away in dumpsites after being worn out without much care of the time invested and energy in making them, it gave me an uneasy feeling. So I started picking them around and experimenting with shoes creating from their shapes and realized that these would mean much to preserve and use as resources and or sculptures. That is when I began using shoes for my artwork.
I have learnt that discarded shoes harm the environment because they do not decompose in soil so they destroy the richness of the soil and eventually rob the society its harvest. And because of the chemicals used in making these rubber soles, they cause air pollution when burnt damaging the ozone layer. I am interested in working with mixed figures which defines the humanly energies that sometimes leaves me defenseless and vulnerable and these animalistic energies which, sometimes is too aggressive and invincible. Personally I still have these unresolved dark and light spaces in me that I am articulating through my work. I also explore with wire, plastic and wood, which shows strength, life and flexibility.
