On the 7th of April 2009 our ‘Shame’ was pinned to the walls of Gallery Delta in Harare for all to see. Our deepest fears and ire, our most hideous secrets and dealings were encased in frames and laid bare for the world to see. Shame, a solo exhibition by renowned Zimbabwean visual artist Misheck Masamvu confronts the culture of silence that makes taboo the opposition of such. It is inclined to the moral ethics of this country and the collective shame that we have brought to ourselves.

^ Part of a painting by Misheck Masamvu showing a man lying down with a lid on his face. See nothing, saying nothing, do nothing?

The graphical nature of the images, the angry colours and issues addressed in them; abuse, plight of women, political mayhem and economical malpractice make this a poignant exhibition that will resonate with Zimbabweans as they weigh the shame of things that they have allowed to happen by simply being and by being a part of.

The exhibition tries neither to play down nor to exaggerate the extent of difficulties faced by so many even to this day. It draws attention to intellectual decisions made in the halls of financial institutions that lack a humanistic face and to the political malpractices that led us into a downward spiral of chaos.

It is difficult to say that you have encouraged someone to kill you or to beat you up but somehow if you are part of the system then you are also to blame.

“Shame is exactly the situation that we are in today. It is the things that we have allowed and encouraged to happen,” said Misheck in an interview with the Zimbo Jam. “We can blame the next person but it is shame on us because we have encouraged these things. It is difficult to say that you have encouraged someone to kill you or to beat you up but somehow if you are part of the system then you are also to blame. You can be part of the system by simply being the one that is a victim of the system. The important thing is what you do about it.”

Misheck Masamvu, born in Penhalonga 29 years ago, was educated artistically in so many places. He received his tutoring from the renowned Helen Lieros at the Atelier Delta here in Zimbabwe in 1999 and also had the opportunity to be tutored by Greg Shaw before he left for Kunste Akademie in Munich, Germany. He has risen since then to produce artworks of great quality and in depth reasoning. Since the time he left Helen’s Saturday morning classes he has exhibited his works in Senegal, Germany, the Netherlands and here at home in Bulawayo and Harare. He is a father of one and he is married to Gina his beautiful wife of seven years.

Misheck’s career has been “a long and difficult road met with determination and ambition,” says his former tutor Helen. She reminisces how she witnessed “his artistic and personal struggle, the opposition of his family to his artistic career, his enamour to Gina and marriage” and “his return from Germany and the ensuing reverse culture shock, confusion and disenchantment.”

Many of those in the Diaspora come back to struggle with a community that cannot take them in or in which they can no longer fit.

Many of those in the Diaspora come back to struggle with a community that cannot take them in or in which they can no longer fit. For so many in foreign lands it is quite a dilemma they face everyday of their lives, trying to weigh the idea of coming back to a land that they feel has no identity that you one can hold on to. Misheck tries to depict this dilemma in his paintings.

^ "To be an artist is not a choice." Misheck Masamvu.

His work in this exhibition portrays topics such as breast cancer in Hidden Scars, the abuse of power in Bloody Armchairs and the pain and cruelty of losing loved ones through migration, death and violence in I Miss You.

In a speech read on behalf of the director of Gallery Delta, Derek Huggins, Helen said of the exhibition: “Gone are the immaculately finished works with the monochromatic backgrounds of the past; instead, is a bold, almost reckless, gestural application of paint to create powerful paintings. And as of the subject matter: the artist reflects on the collective shame of the nation.”

Gallery Delta has over the years become a haven or transit camp for artists. It has elevated artists that are on their way into the art world and those who have been there for a while who are making their way to the top. Topics of varied of dimensions have been addressed on the walls of the gallery. Shame is their second exhibition of the year.

“To be an artist at times I take it as a curse. It’s not a choice. You have to say something and you have to say it in the most truthful way.”

The exhibition was opened by His Excellency, Doctor Albrecht Conze, Ambassador of Germany who not only graced the evening but also provided sponsorship for the exhibition in conjunction with ZIMOCO and the Zimbabwe-German Society/Goethe-Zentrum. Also gracing the occasion was Barbara Fischer from the Zimbabwe-German Society.

To sum it all up Misheck says: “To be an artist at times I take it as a curse. It’s not a choice. You have to say something and you have to say it in the most truthful way.” His work gives testimony to that but it also carries with it the message that despite the shame, we should rise from the quagmire that we find ourselves in today, through listening to each other carefully and disagreeing in peace. We should not hold on selfishly to the expertise we have and exploit the trust of those who rely on us.

:: See more of Misheck's work

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