Gresham works against the sweeping identity that has been defined by the voice of the state. His images oscillate between figuration, abstraction and hallucination, drawing from the restless energy of the ghetto. Mbare is Harare’s and perhaps Zimbabwe’s most vibrant and notorious ghetto. Allegedly ridden with hooliganism, violence and prostitution, Mbare is said to parallel the conditions of Harare for Zimbabweans during the colonial segregation era (in respect of its hardship and quality of living space). To this day Mbare retains the character of a port city with its trade, shady deals and otherwise bustle of unremitting human traffic amid urban decay. Living on the verge between survival and demise has been somewhat of a call to poetry, at times proving brutal and at others sentimental or cynically satirical. In his works, symbolic collapsed figures, floors and chairs are everywhere. With irony, he talks about social issues such as class inequality and consumer culture in the urban environment without concealment.
1988 Born in Harare, Zimbabwe
2008 National Certificate in Fine Arts, National Gallery of Zimbabwe Visual Arts Studios of Zimbabwe Visual Arts Studios
Lives and works in Harare, Zimbabwe
Featured Artworks
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
Blank Faces
150 x 100 cm
2024
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
Shadows of Safety
210 x 210 cm
2022
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
Limits of Dissent
210 × 210 cm
2022
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
Grey Space (Slow Clap)
148 x 119 cm
2021
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
Covid Blues Pt 1
100 x 70 cm
2020
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
After the Feast
210 × 350 cm
2019
Gresham TAPIWA NYAUDE
The Injured Generation
210 x 299 cm
2019