adminhome to the extent of understanding and capturing by graphite and colour the flying ants’ frenzied rituals prior to their myriad outburst into orbit for uncertain dreamt future.
Unfortunately they become an immediate primary source of food for creatures in abundance including humble man before realisation of their dreams.
Only minute mating pairs will find their new homes to start colonies that will emanate after lengthy periods.
But Paul’s nine part series of “Dance of the Ishwa” also serving as the theme of the phenomenal solo art exhibition will be alive on earth until thy kingdom come.
The latest board of work is highly expressional and supremely differentiated from his usual aggressive painting, gobs and splattering of paint bursting forth in amazing kaleidoscope of colour, each jostling for primacy, surreal declaring their dominance over each with complementary aplomb.
The high magnitude exhibition is predominated by decisive heavy marks either in graphite or squeezed raw colour swirling with creamy thickness isolated on vast backgrounds of various whites.
The dribbling of colour into each other still is a trademark but immensely restricted in linear impasto where his textural use of the roller has been forgone.
“Dance of the Ishwa” is a theme that highlights the bestowing of the rains that rejuvenate life, sipping into mother earth triggering the once in a life time flight by flying ants.
The work currently showing at Gallery Delta Foundation for Art and the Humanities is testimony to the major artist Wade is in Zimbabwean art landscape.
He arrived from England in the early 1980s and became the first full time instructor to be engaged at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s opened Visual Arts Studio (the BAT Workshop).
He became a darling with his young students who were eager to learn from a man beholding a degree in sculptural weaving.
The sculptural weaving employed the soft fibres of wool and cloth creating in essence very robust sculptural forms.
His earlier engagement in fashion and textile studies very much influenced his early work but gradually alienated to realistic and figurative painting which also transformed into quality textural abstraction in various media.
Through the passage of time the enjoyment of colour in thick oil, the use of various techniques and tools in search of quality texture summed up by his formidable unique mark took over.
He admits that he is not an innovator but a hardworking painter who sees colours as a creative thought and nothing more beautiful than exploring the palette.
He says his most satisfying moments is when he applies his unique expressional marks which feature in almost all of his paintings and drawings.
There is a rare treat of his sculptural forms in “Stumbling Blocks” which incorporates 64 blocks of wood wrapped around in painted canvas then bolted together in pairs by protruding lengthy new silver shining bolts.
The bolted 32 pairs of blocks are installed randomly at various gradients and surfaces on five cubic platforms of different sizes and height.
The stumbling blocks are amazing in every regard, they are attractive but look menacing.
They threaten grievous bodily harm if one stumbles upon them thence the given title.
Other astounding pieces on show include five part series of “A View from Kambanje”, twelve part series of “A Way Out”, four part series of “Knock Knock”, “Chikomborero I” and “Chikomborero” (a-l), “Breathing Space” (i-vi) and “Colour Blocks” (a&b).
The show will shut its doors to the public in mid November 2011.
- Stephen Garan’anga is an international fine art practitioner, independent art projects co-ordinator, chairperson of AfricanColours Artists, critical visual arts writer amongst other things.
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