Local artist Zacharia Mukwira is based in Gordon’s Bay and exhibits his work in galleries across Southern Africa and abroad. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
For Zimbabwean artist Zacharia Mukwira (49), to paint is to tell a story.
“I transform words into a visual form so that they can last forever somehow,” he says with a sidelong glance at his latest creation: a swirling blue and gold cityscape of Johannesburg that stretches the length of his living room.
Mukwira’s artworks are vibrant, abstract products of the imagination that speak to his multicultural heritage and strong connection with the tales of his youth.
As a young boy growing up in Northern Zimbabwe, he was always in the company of his Zambian grandmother Janet, whom he credits for teaching him the magic of a great story. Known as the “iron lady” of the family, she would sit with him and his siblings around the evening fire and share old parables and legends.
Her intriguing tales would eventually ignite Mukwira’s lifelong passion for telling his own.
His pieces are inspired by what he calls the African stories of ordinary life. He might be moved by words in a book, magazine or poem on one day, while it could be a conversation or a passing phrase the next.
“I listen to what people are saying. I hear a story and think ‘okay, that’s a painting’. From words, I am able to create an artwork and communicate. That’s how I work.”
Mukwira sorts through his collection of artworks. To his left is a recent creation: a painting of the Johannesburg city skyline. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
Just around the corner from his apartment in Gordon’s Bay is Ndiza gallery, which is housed inside the Krystal Beach Hotel on Harbour Island. The owner, Michele Roelofsen, chose to exhibit his work precisely because the subject matter is so distinctive.
“I love the stories that his pictures tell me,” she says. “He’s telling African stories that are getting lost because nobody tells them.”
Roelofsen met Mukwira when the gallery was just starting out. He walked in one day, “a very humble man” she hastens to add, and asked if they would be interested in viewing his art.
“He laid out these pieces on the floor of the gallery and blew all of our minds. I’ve never had anybody walk in the door with that quality of work.”
Her strong appreciation for his talent is not unique. Over the years, he has garnered many admirers who have supported his craft in some way, helped him gain exposure or simply spread the word.
Francé Beyers, the editor of Stellenbosch Visio magazine, came across a few of his pieces at the now-defunct Ghetto Art Gallery in Stellenbosch. Unlike Roelofsen, what caught her eye was his signature style and interesting technique.
He uses the same method for the majority of his paintings. He starts by sketching on a special, double-layered cardboard canvas which he then carves, doing so carefully to ensure that he penetrates only the top layer. The result is a textured blueprint of an image that lifts itself off the surface, ready to be filled with colour.
Mukwira’s signature style is recognisable by his use of bright colours, African imagery and a unique carving method. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
Some of his most valuable skills he picked up working for his uncle, Alexander Phiri, in Bulawayo. Phiri, a disabled man and Mukwira’s personal hero, was a draughtsman for much of his life. He taught his young nephew the ins and outs of drawing and measurements.
“I was his legs,” Mukwira says, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Everywhere he went, I was there”.
It is doubtful that he would have pursued the visual arts were it not for Phiri. For ten years, Mukwira was employed at the Southern African Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD), an organisation headed up by his uncle, which focused on securing rights for people with disabilities.
Prior to that, he received artistic training through the Zimbabwe Integration Through Arts programme (ZITA) – a series of workshops that equipped him to teach art to disabled children.
With teaching as his day job, painting took on the role of faithful “sidekick” in his spare time. It all changed in 2001 when he scored his first solo exhibition at the Unity Gallery in Johannesburg through a fellow artist and friend.
Since then, his works have featured in exhibitions all over Southern Africa, from Bulawayo and Victoria Falls to various galleries across the country. Together with wife Nomsa Gatsheni Mukwira, he made a permanent move to the Western Cape in 2012 to pursue more opportunities.
Mukwira and his wife, Nomsa Gatsheni Mukwira, at their home in Gordon’s Bay. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
“It’s not easy making a living as an artist. But it’s a passion, you’re doing what you love. Having money coming in is sort of like a bonus,” he says, eliciting a chuckle from his wife. She is an artist too and sells colourful beadwork creations.
Stellenbosch locals may have spotted Mukwira at the Oude Libertas and Spier markets where he regularly sells his wares and interacts with potential buyers. Chatting with passers-by while he paints is one of his favourite parts of the job.
“People who buy care about and buy art are amazing people. It’s a wonderful culture,” he says.
Looking back at his career, he says his crowning achievement was when Nando’s, the wildly popular restaurant chain, commissioned him to produce upwards of 30 original paintings to be displayed in stores nationwide. It was the gig that put him on the map.
Now, a new opportunity has crossed his path which could potentially surpass Nando’s and claim the top spot on his CV.
Much to his great surprise, an email was recently forwarded to him by the owner of the Workshop Art and Craft Gallery in the Eastern Cape. It contained an invitation to attend the Florence Biennale, the International Biennial of Contemporary Art.
Although less well-known than its mighty friend up North, the Venice Biennale, this exhibition is nevertheless a highly anticipated event on the international arts calendar.
He hopes that with increased exposure and generosity from his supporters, he will raise the funds necessary to get him there. It could be a gamechanger for his career.
Mukwira has a motto in life – one that seems strangely fitting given the recent good news.
“Think lucky. If you fall into a river, check your pockets for fish.”
If you would like to meet Mukwira in person and check out his art, you can currently find him running a pop up gallery at the Stellenbosch Square in Jamestown.