Photo: Neven Allgeier
Working with textile collage, installation, performance and video, Mukwazhi examines the politicisation and instrumentalization of the female body as a contested site upon which the power dynamics of patriarchal society are played out. In recent works, she explores the underlying structures of systemic gender-based violence and deconstructs narratives that marginalize women in Zimbabwean society. By challenging cultural norms of femininity and taboos related to female agency, Mukwazhi highlights the importance of addressing latent forms of patriarchy. Her practice is an expression of her commitment to solidarity, empowerment, and care for marginalized communities and strives to provide a platform for resistance and self-empowerment.
Based in Harare, Zimbabwe, Mukwazhi has exhibited locally and internationally at institutions such as the Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham; the Secession, Vienna; Philara Foundation, Dusseldorf; Kunsthalle Emden, Emden; the Zimbabwean Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice; Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg; Norval Foundation, Cape Town; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), Cape Town; the Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision, Hilversum; SAVVY Contemporary at Njelele Art Station, Harare; and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo. Her work is represented in several notable private and public collections, including the Museum Ludwig and Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.
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curriculum vitae
1992 Born in Harare, Zimbabwe
education
2012 National Gallery School of Visual Art and Design, Harare, Zimbabwe
2014 Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg, South Africa
solo exhibitions
2024 Schultze Projects #4 Kresiah Mukwazhi, Museum Ludwig, Cologne
2024 Body Count, blank projects, Cape Town
2023 Kirawa, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
2023 Kirawa, Secession, Vienna
2022 Ndakamira pamukaha (Standing my ground till it cracks), Jan Kaps, Cologne
2021 Zviratidzo, blank projects, Cape Town
2020 Mukando, Jan Kaps, Cologne
2018 Bedroom Interview, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town
group exhibitions
2024 Kuvhunura: l’Ecole d’Harare, Fondation Blachère, Bonnieux
2023 Strike Fast, Dance Lightly: Artists on Boxing, The FLAG Art Foundation, New York
2023 I’ve only got eyes for you, Philara Foundation, Dusseldorf
2023 Kunst-Stoff. Textile as Artistic Material, Kunst Halle Emden, Emden
2022 Zimbabwean Pavilion, 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice
2022 #empowerment, Planetarische Feminismen, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg
2021 OFF ROAD II, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2021 Mixed Company, Norval Foundation, Cape Town
2020 Love your symptoms, but not too much, blank projects, Cape Town
2020 Materiality, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2019 African Textures. Jeanne Gaigher, Kresiah Mukwazhi, Marlene Steyn, Osart Gallery, Milan, Italy
2019 The Female Line, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town
2019 Conversations in Texture, Berman Contemporary, Johannesburg
2019 Legitimate Expectations, Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg
2019 Not the Usual Suspects, Iziko Museums, Cape Town
2019 Five Bhobh – Painting at the End of an Era, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), Cape Town
2019 Prism of Freedom, Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision
2018 Legitimate Expectations, Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg
2018 PARA_OTHER – Chale Wote Street Art Festival, Accra
2017 That, Around Which the Universe Revolves, Kapitel 3 - Harare, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin at Njelele Art Station, Harare
2017 Disclosure, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town
2016 Nhaka/Ilifa/Inheritance, Zimbabwe Annual Exhibition National Gallery of Zimbabwe
2016 In My Private Moments, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo
2015 GWANZA month of photography, Village Unhu, Harare
2015 Migration, Gallery Delta, Harare (First price in the ‘mixed media sculptural work’ category)
selected awards + residencies
2023 Hera Hera (hail hail), Nottingham Contemporary, UK
2020 Online Fellowship, Institute for Creative Arts - ICA, Cape Town
2019 Arts of Africa and Global Souths, Rhodes University with Performance, Summoned from Luzari, Makhanda, South Africa
2019 Nafasi Art Space with Performance, Pamuchakata, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2018 Recipient of the research residency, ANT Mobility Grant, Pro Helvetia, Johannesburg
2018 Katutura Art Centre, Windhoek, Namibia - supported by ANT Mobility Grant, Pro Helvetia
2016-2017 Village Unhu, Harare, Zimbabwe
2015 National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
