Kudzi (Hand-finished)
In tender collaged canvases, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami abstracts the contexts of her friends and family – an allegory for identities displaced, or otherwise fragmented.
Kudzi started as a digital collage o...
In tender collaged canvases, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami abstracts the contexts of her friends and family – an allegory for identities displaced, or otherwise fragmented.
Kudzi started as a digital collage of the artist’s cousin. Printed, painted on and then faithfully recreated in 17 silkscreen layers. Glossy swathes of colour obscure a halftone-modulated, monochromatic underprint. These innovative techniques – born of close collaboration with artisan printmakers in London – echo the rich, multimedia surfaces of Hwami’s original paintings.
As a final step in this experimental process, 15 prints returned to the artist’s studio in London for unique hand-finishing in oil paint and charcoal.
“Here stands a shy, joyous Zimbabwean young man free from realities facing LGBTQ people in Southern Africa.”
The artwork encompasses a collaboration between Hwami, Avant Arte and Queercircle. From September 15, Kudzi will be installed in Queercircle’s reading room alongside a curated selection of literature. Visit the accompanying journal to learn more, and for the chance win an artist’s proof!