admineyes and heart create, see and experience life more intensely and vividly than your average artist. For him life is transmuted through a brilliant palette of colours, a vivid imagination, sharp intuition and academic brilliance. In Shepherd’s hands paints becomes flesh, pliable, tangible and life – like, he gives paint a voice.
This writer examined one of his recent works “The Caucus of Totems” (2011), currently on display at Gallery Delta. Here, the artist delves into a phantasmagoric allegories and metaphors depicting people and their natural environment according to Shona ontology. Says Shepherd:
“In the city, there are zebras, ‘ vayera mbizi’, monkeys ‘vayera soko’ lions ‘vayera shumba’, elephants ‘ vayera samanyanga’, etc al, urbanised in pinstriped designer suits hustling to get the better of each
other”.
He says people are no different to animals – both deal with the laws of survivals of the fitness or quickest. Apart from painting satirical social allegories with acid wit, he is equally known for his sensitive rural and suburban portrayals of the women at work and his animated still – lives exemplary in works such as ” The Butcher”.
His works are reminiscent of Austrian painter, social critic and playwright Oskar Kokoschka’s (1886-1980) in-idealised recordings of contemporary life. Like Kokoschka’s, Shephard’s approach to painting is emotive expressionist and his paints have an extraordinary feeling of tactility and spontaneous movement.
Shepherd’s colourful critiques of suburban life, wild life, culture and human psychology breaths life onto the canvas and paper he works on. He is also a superb draughtsman with the ability to see his
subject from penetrating angles. His oblique angle of vision and bold translation of human society and everyday objects is witty, original and unequivocally Zimbabweans in style, content and context.
Away from art, Mahufe is an athletic rugby player, a great dancer and a jovial spirited human being.
His personality is endearing, he is perceptive, sensitive, ambitious and optimistic at all times. Personally it is always a joy for this writer to share jokes and have the occasional intense discussions on the ways of art today.
Mahufe’s colourful palette speaks and dances the pulse of life itself. He says ” My voice is in the joy and colours of life”! He is represented by Gallery Delta
- Dr Tony Monda holds an International PhD. In Post-Modern Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA Doctorate in Business Administration of Post-Colonial Heritage studies. He is also a practising artist, designer, curator, critic and Corporate Image Consultant.
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