Notes

Lovemore Kambuzi was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1978. He studied at the Visual Arts Studio at the National Gallery in Mbara between 1996 – 98, won the Young Artist of Promise award in his final year and went on to exhibit his work widely Europe, the United States and of course Zimbabwe.

Kambuduzi’s work is well identified by his unique style of applying one colour at a time to create large-scale, vibrant scenes reminiscent of the techniques of French tachism and pointillism. Using bright colours and satirical, caricature-like figures, he manages to incorporate humor into heavy political subject matter. Drawing inspiration from his home country, Kambudzi’s work reflects everyday life and exposes the hardships and political turmoil suffered by the people of Zimbabwe, locally earning him the sobriquet ‘The Eye of the People’.

This particular painting references the Zimbabwe riots where figures are seen rioting through the streets, using rocks and sticks to batter cars and buildings. The most noteworthy aspect of this painting is the clear reference to Gerard Sekoto’s seminal painting Song of the Pick, painted in 1947, where a line of labourers raise their picks in perfect rhythm and symmetry in front of a lone white ‘BAAS’ in a khaki suit. The work addresses the racial inequality that led to the Apartheid regime that South Africa suffered through for the majority of the twentieth century. Kambudzi honours the modern master, Sekoto, by referencing the power of the men lined up in a symmetrical row, but instead of wielding picks they are tipping over a motor vehicle in protest of the Zimbabwean political corruption.