Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]
HIS passion for art started in 1989 at Milton High School in Bulawayo, igniting a fire in Chenjerai Kamushinda’s soul as lively as a painter’s palette. After years of dedicated practice, he honed his craft and joined the Visual Artists Association of Bulawayo (VAAB). The membership opened doors to group exhibitions at the National Gallery, alongside opportunities for solo showcases.
Chenjerai’s artistry thrives on blending the experiences of his everyday life with his aspirations. These elements seamlessly merge into captivating masterpieces exhibited on various platforms.
For the past 17 years, Cape Town has been his home. This move, raising a family there, and navigating a new cultural landscape all served as profound sources of inspiration for his latest creations. These works recently enjoyed a successful exhibition at the Zimbabwe Art Gallery in Bulawayo.
Chenjerai’s artistic vision aims to capture a realm he terms “flaccid reality”. This dreamlike interpretation of everyday faces invites viewers into a world where the familiar takes on a new, ethereal quality.
His latest offering, titled: “Reflections: Dreams of the Ones That Got Away,” utilises artificial intelligence tools to weave a narrative about the experiences of Zimbabweans living abroad.
“The lived experience in short refers to not only my childhood and adult life experiences within the communities that I’ve lived in, but also a collection of stories of everyday people that I’ve lived with. Because of the generational lived experience, there’s nostalgia when thinking of home. Home will always be home through tears and laughter.
“I draw my inspiration from my lived experience and that of the people surrounding me, especially as represented in the realm of dreams. I’ve always been fascinated by the fluidity and honesty found in dreams. In my art, I try to explore the sincerity in dreams because, despite their seeming ambiguous nature, they offer a window into the unfiltered contents of our innermost being,” he said.
He missed the simple pleasures — daily walks through New Magwegwe, grabbing bread at Mabhodoko, and catching up with friends along the way — a chance to reminisce and dream together.
“I miss the everyday small joys of feeling at peace because I’m surrounded by a community that knows me and cares about each other. The joys of buying bread koMabhodoko and all the great home food, and just the gladness of being in familiar surroundings and walking Bulawayo streets and seeing pushcarts. The echoing sound of blacksmiths saying ‘ezivuzayo’ is all that I long to hear sometimes as I try and settle into this different community in the neighbouring country,” said Chenjerai.
His other passion is capturing the genuine expressions of African children. He sees in their unfiltered faces a truth as pure as a dream, a truth spoken without pretence.
On expressing himself, Chenjerai said: “Art is to me as breath is, either I express myself or I die. It’s not only a means of expression, but also my creative ‘safe space’.
Through it, I shed light on the pertinent issues both personal and communal.”
Online Reporter