BY NYADZOMBE NYAMPENZA

VISUAL artist Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude has inaugurated a solo exhibition of his new works entitled Gray spaces (Munhu Chaiye) at the first floor gallery in Harare.

The works of art blend pain and beauty in one frame to inspire both dark reflection and festive abandon.

The new body of work has superficial similarities to the earlier work of Nyaudes. The camouflage pattern is there, but is topped with brighter colors. The actors of his past works seem to have survived their afflictions and come back.

They are loud characters with gaping mouths, depicted mistreating and raping each other in different contexts.

In one painting, one figure standing atop a dizzy stool slams the other in a dangerous “don’t try this at home” motion.

In another painting, a woman squatting on a chair suffocates a skeletal head while around her, only the feet of those who may have challenged her position remain visible.

A figure is depicted falling through the air towards an uncertain end, but clings to two bottles and displays a drunken smile of defiance on their ghostly face.

The alcohol bottle is a recurring symbol in this work. It’s a reminder that Zimbabweans drink to party and celebrate success, but also to mourn and drown their sorrows.

The second table titled Munhu Chaiye is an ironic statement of moral superiority. It is derived from Ubuntu philosophy, which attributes human value according to character, and deemed human behavior. The title may elicit skeptical reactions such as Munhu chaiye ndiani? in response to such a bold claim for moral elevation.

The late music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi contributed on this topic by expressing his belief that anyone born to a woman deserves respect, “Asina kubarwa ndiani? Nyaude seems to adopt the same position of non-judgment on the colorful characters who populate his paintings.

There is beauty mixed with pain in Nyaude’s latest work.

Representation of black pain as artistically pleasurable may be a demand of the overseas market.

Gallery owners can influence an artist to take such a direction when it drives sales. Despite Zimbabwe’s continuing economic challenges, daily public conversations are not permanently anchored to the collective woes of the country.

Most of the time, humor and satire serve as coping mechanisms, but there are also moments of forgetfulness and sheer joy.

Nyaude takes the viewer into this space where joy, pain, beauty and ugliness intersect. Through drawing, spray painting and brushing on canvas, he brings audiences to confront their pain while simultaneously recognizing their joy.

Passionate discussions and glamorous photos taken in front of the works on opening day may be the first testament to the exhibition’s success and Nyaude’s accomplishment.

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