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Art Worlds

Art Worlds: Zimbabwe

Season 3, Ep. 25

Episode 25 meets artist Misheck Masamvu who considers Zimbabwe’s post-independence character through painting, drawing and sculpture. Sensitive to the country’s economic and political turmoil, he uses frenetic mark making with elements of figuration lurking beneath to go some way to capturing and articulating the experiences of Zimbabweans. Misheck’s civic spiritedness is similarly felt at Village Unhu, an art space he co-founded in the capital Harare to nurture young artistic talent.


Misheck’s work has been exhibited internationally at the 54th Venice Biennale, 22nd Sydney Biennale, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, among others. In January 2024, he will be included in curator Zoe Whitley’s exhibition at The Institutum, Singapore. Misheck took a break from his painting and joined me from his studio in Harare. 



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  • 32. Art Worlds: Singapore

    23:20||Season 4, Ep. 32
    Episode 32 features Dawn Ng, an artist preoccupied with time, memory, nostalgia and the ephemeral. This has led her to develop a unique sculpting technique that deploys ice and pigment to create beguiling images across a breadth of mediums, including photography, film and painting. When translated into moving image, like in ‘The Earth is an Hourglass’ currently showing at 11th Asia Pacific Triennial, Dawn’s icy sculptural form gradually collapses into a river of colour. The process is captivating. Dawn’s works are focused on encouraging this type of slow looking. From large-scale installations at the National Gallery Singapore to a commission for the Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, her work is characteristically poetic and elegant in its execution. Dawn joined me from her studio in Singapore and told me more about her industrial size walk-in freezers and her scientific spreadsheets. 
  • 31. Art Worlds: Singapore

    25:20||Season 4, Ep. 31
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  • 30. Art Worlds: Mongolia

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  • 29. Art Worlds: Mongolia

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  • 27. Art Worlds: Zimbabwe

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  • 26. Art Worlds: Zimbabwe

    23:12||Season 3, Ep. 26
    Episode 26 features Richard Mudariki, an artist based between Harare and Cape Town. Known for his satirical figurative paintings, Richard addresses political reform in Zimbabwe, state corruption and social conditions in South Africa. In 2020 he founded artHARARE as an online platform to experience contemporary art by established, mid-career and emerging visual artists from Zimbabwe and its diaspora. The initiative has since developed with artHARARE participating in international art fairs like 1-54, building institutional partnerships as well as hosting talks and starting an art prize. Richard spoke to me from Cape Town about his ongoing efforts to support Zimbabwe’s artists.