Chronicle Editor
Tafadzwa Chibukwa, Features Reporter
His appearance is striking and says “I’m an artist”, almost at first glance, as he is clad in a green baseball T-shirt, a pair of black shorts, and a jacket with a mix of pink and black.
His dress sense stands out from that of an ordinary person and one can easily tell he is dressed to express a particular idea.
Inspired by nature, people, culture and music, 24-year-old visual and contemporary artist Zibusiso Tshuma (Zie) from Gwanda is striving to expand his influence in the arts industry.
Tshuma uses colour and design to portray cultural practices and what he sees in his surroundings.
He transforms small details that he creates using diverse patterns in different colours to form something big, bold and beautiful.
In an interview with Chronicle, Tshuma said his art is drawn from the aspect of life, people’s emotions, activities and behaviours.
Most of his art work comprises human figures, especially faces with different patterns in different colours, which represent people’s emotions and feelings in different aspects of life.
The way Tshuma plays around with colour is the same way he carries himself; easy-going, fluid and diverse.
“Most of my art work is drawn from what I see in my surroundings; be it nature, the culture, practices and behaviours in different situations. I’m an observer; I observe first then apply what I would’ve observed,” said Tshuma.
A self-taught artist, Tshuma believes he has always had it in him to be an artist. Like many youths, Tshuma also dreams big and aims high in everything that he does.
At some point, he was enrolled to study Property Development and Estate Management at the National University of Science and Technology, a programme he only studied for a semester.
Forced to conduct lectures online due to the Covid-19 restrictions, Tshuma spent most of his time perfecting his art skills.
With his newly discovered and strengthened love for art, Tshuma eventually dropped his university degree and to pursue art.
“I grew up in Gwanda and when I moved here (Bulawayo) for university, I saw so many opportunities in the arts industry. I found myself focusing on attending exhibitions and researching more on art, instead of the degree that I had moved here for.
“This made me realise that the programme that I was here for was not what I wanted to do. So, during the Covid-19 lockdown, I thought deeply about my career and engaged my parents. After long deliberations, we came to an agreement that I could drop out of school to focus on perfecting my art skills,” he said.
Tshuma said deciding to drop his university degree to concentrate on art is one move he will forever look back to and cherish.
He said even though it was a gamble at the time, he’s finally reaping the rewards.
“In as much as dropping my degree seemed imprudent, it’s one of the decisions I’ll look back at and declare that I made the right choice because I am where I belong, doing what I love. My growth and recognition in the industry are proof that I’m doing quite well,” said Tshuma.
He said he has since been recognised for his work both locally and internationally.
“I’m amazed and humbled by how people appreciate my work, relate to it and share it on social media. I’ve even managed to sell my work to countries like Germany, the United States and Dubai among others. This has boosted my confidence and shown me that I can actually do better, if I push harder,” said Tshuma.
He said he looks forward to his art influencing people around him and having a lasting impact.
“As someone who grew up here (Zimbabwe), I’m aware of what we like and what we don’t like, which is why I understand why our arts industry doesn’t get much recognition. I look forward to having my art impact people in different ways.
“Sometimes, it seems like local people are not supporting art, but the truth is that visual art appears to be expensive to local people because of the current economic situation as well as differences from what we are used to. This is in contrast with other international countries that are greatly invested in art,” said Tshuma.
He is one of the artists who represented Matabeleland South at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo for the annual group exhibition last year.
After taking part at the exhibition, Tshuma was invited to exhibit his pieces at the Alliance Francaise De Bulawayo from March 10 to May 6.
His exhibition at the Alliance Francaise will be the first solo exhibition to be conducted at the venue as they usually host group exhibitions.
Tshuma said he is proud to have raised the bar high for himself to get such recognition. – @Sagepapie14
Online Reporter