Kudzanai Chiurai, born in 1981 in Harare, is a visual artist Zimbabwean who now lives in South Africa. His paintings are mostly political in nature as they mirror his proud views and perspectives on matters related to politics around him. He proudly used his art to express exile politics and Robert Mugabe’s opposition in Zimbabawean politics for which he was pursued out of the country amidst threats. At 31, Chiurai has risen above his peers in regards to contemporary Art. Mixed media is also one of the signatures of his work as there is an inherent juxtaposition of videos and photos with paintings and drawings and these aptly express his xenophobic and democratic views.
The University of Pretoria was where Chiurai studied Fine Art and graduated as the first black student. This was the foundation of his early work painting portraits and landscapes before advancing into his expression of political ills in his country Zimbabwe. His emotionally inspiring works are usually theatrical, sometimes cynical and mostly humorous and they have earned him his well deserved international and national recognition. Known mostly for his artworks, he also works as a producer, editor, and designer and showcases it through works in photography, publishing, music, public art, and fashion. He has edited two publications with contributions by leading creatives. His 2008 solo exhibition Yellow Lines, contained the first part of the first publication. he has also collaborated with writers, artists, graphic designers, stylists and fashion photographers, for the reinterpretation of the exhibited works.
Chiurai has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in various local and international exhibitions, including Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt/Main among others. His Conflict Resolution series was included in dOCUMENTA in Kassel in 2012.
Kudzanai Chiurai is considered to be more than an artist but also a poet, an activist and a cultural philosopher who uses his distinct art to tackle the political and social issues that he believes in. You can browse through more of his work here: https://www.artsy.net/artist/kudzanai-chiurai 2) http://www.goodman-gallery.com/artists/kudzanaichiurai and her works are tagged #kudzanaichiura on Instagram.
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