Online Reporter
Trust Khosa
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
TWO Zimbabwean visual artists, Pardon Mapondera and Nothando Chiwanga, have touched the hearts of many with their collections currently showing in Dallas, United States.
Dubbed “Crossing Lines: Contemporary Voices from Zimbabwe and South Africa”, the group exhibition also features South African artist Lloyd Maluleke.
DHV Artworks, in collaboration with Indibano Art Residency under the aegis of Bukekile Dube, is behind this group exhibition.
According to Dube, the initiative is a Dallas-based programme aimed at bringing contemporary African artists to the United States for 12-week cultural exchange residencies.
The participation of these two Zimbabwean visual artists has been hailed as an eye-opener for the creative sector, which continues to make waves overseas.
The group exhibition has been featured in The Dallas Morning Newspaper, which has been in existence since 1885, with over 400 000 daily readers. Additionally, their works have been reviewed in Kera News for North Texas, where Dube spoke highly about the exhibition.
“Lines’ exhibition in the Design District brings South African art to North Texas. A new art exhibition opening in the Dallas Design District aims to expand the city’s global art dialogue by connecting artists from South Africa with audiences in North Texas, said Dube.
“Crossing Lines: Contemporary Voices from Zimbabwe & South Africa” showcases work by three artists who explore identity, movement, and the boundaries between cultures.
“The idea was it’s going to be that convergence where people are comfortable to come and have conversations and explore ideas concerning our Africanness and the Afro-diaspora so that everyone who’s descended from the continent can come and feel at ease and have a connection with that,” Dube shared.
Dube, who launched a refreshing initiative dubbed “Indibano” — a Zulu word meaning “a meeting place” — in 2023, has been hailed for bringing together artists from across the continent to live and work in the city while connecting with local artists and collectors.
“They are emerging in the Dallas market, but they’re certainly not emerging where they are,” Dube said.
According to Kera News, “The residency’s mission is rooted in cultural reciprocity, not just showcasing African artists in Dallas.
“They want to foster an environment for collaboration and mentorship.”
The exhibition features Maluleke, Nothando Chiwanga, and Pardon Mapondera. The three artists work across mediums, including painting, printmaking, photography, and mixed media. Their combined efforts have resulted in a unique group exhibition.
According to reports from Dallas, Maluleke, a South African visual artist, vividly explores everyday life and human experiences through layered imagery.
He is also the founder of Perspective Art Studios in Johannesburg, a collective supporting emerging African artists.
One of his paintings in the exhibition, “Like Father, Like Son”, depicts a determined father showing his son what it means to be a provider.
“It’s all about collaborations, like learning from other people, because I’m a collaborator. I cannot talk about my work without involving other people,” he stated in the same article.
As for Chiwanga, from Zimbabwe, she blends photography, performance arts, and installation to explore the Black female body, travel, and belonging.
Her work in the exhibition includes six photo installations and two handmade costumes that merge personal narrative with cultural curiosity, often questioning identity and belonging.
Mapondera, also from Zimbabwe, transforms recycled materials such as plastic bottles, straws, and thread into intricate textile pieces. His practice, which highlights themes of ecology and renewal, is described as a spiritual virus that prompts reflection.
His work has been displayed at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare.
Mapondera is also preparing to participate in the prestigious 61st International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia in 2026.
Dubbed the “World Cup of the Arts,” the upcoming event is known for fostering collaborations, which Mapondera, Chiwanga, and Maluleke are currently cultivating in Dallas.
“It’s all about collaborations, like learning from other people, because I’m a collaborator. I cannot talk about my work without involving other people,” he emphasised.
Chiwanga, from Zimbabwe, blends photography, performance arts, and installation to explore the Black female body, travel and belonging. Judging by the rave reviews the talented Zimbabwean artists are receiving, Zimbabwe’s dominance in the creative sector is hard to ignore.
