David Zwirner is pleased to present Ndakaoneswa murima, an exhibition of new work by Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera at the gallery’s West 19th Street location in New York. The title translates from Shona to English as “I was made to see the dark side.” This will be Zvavahera’s first solo presentation in New York and her second exhibition with David Zwirner, and the first since the gallery announced representation of the artist earlier this year.
Zvavahera gives form to emotions that manifest from other realms and dimensions beyond the domains of everyday life and thought. Her vivid imagery is rooted in the cornerstones of our earthly existence—life and death, pain and pleasure, isolation and connection, and love and loss. Zvavahera’s compositions draw on particular traditions of figuration in past and present Zimbabwe, first expressed in the work of Thomas Mukarobgwa in the 1960s, while also pointing to postwar artistic practices that probe the nature of the human condition.
In these new works, the Harare-based artist continues to develop her subject matter by joining her carefully charted dream worlds with her lived experience and daily rituals. Zvavahera expands her practice with new motifs and narratives, populated by symbolic creatures that become powerful conduits for interpreting her spiritual visions. This body of work also builds upon her interest in combining vibrant color with varied painting and printmaking techniques to produce intricate designs and delicate lacelike patterns across her vast canvases.
As critic Athi Mongezeleli Joja observes, “translation remains a grounding feature of [Zvavahera’s] work, and it takes precedence, not only in the construction of her subject matter, but also in its aesthetics.”
For more information and to book your visit, please visit:
www.davidzwirner.com/exhibitions/2021/portia-zvavahera-ndakaoneswa-murima