Shalom Kufakwatenzi is a non-binary artist based in Harare, Zimbabwe, who predominantly works with performance, photography, and textile. Under the sea (2023) and Mubatanidzwa (Adjoined) (2023) are textile works as Kufakwatenzi is interested in the malleable and transformative nature of fabric. Fabric can be adjusted, stretched, folded, and sewn together, much like how Kufakwatenzi moves in their own context as a queer person. Under the sea embodies longing and belonging. As a result of feeling like a foreigner at home, through this work Kufakwatenzi has created a space devoid of the sea of societal opinions. It encompasses bright textured colours reminiscent of childhood while referencing dark places that are dangerous and yet beautiful. However, though the personal is often the starting point, Kufakwatenzi also explores broader themes around land, which has always been topical in Zimbabwe. Mubatanidzwa is made from hessian, fishing and tobacco twine, wool, and leather, all of which are linked to agricultural labour. The sewn-on cartographical lines point to unfair land distribution policies, displacement, and corruption.
This is the first time the work of Shalom Kufakwatenzi is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Tandanzani Dhlakama
