Visual artist heads for Italy

Terrence Musekiwa won a trip to Venice after his artwork Miss Waste, qualified as the best artwork for the Friends of the Gallery Art Auction, Waste no Waste: Trash is Treasure, which was held last week at the Ambassador of Italy's Residence.

Musekiwa comes to art from a uniquely privileged art background.

His father is the well-known sculptor, Kennedy Musekiwa. He began carving at the age of five, watching his father hold his chisel and hammer and he affirms to nineteen years of experience, which explains his unique confidence and skill. He was later on trained at the BAT National Gallery of Zimbabwe Visual Arts Studios (NGVAS) from 2009 to 2011.

"I would like to thank the God almighty for granting me the opportunity to win this unexpected trip to Venice," said Musekiwa during an interview with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. "Many artists wish to go to such places to upgrade their standards of art, but they have no chance and I am happy to be the chosen one for this moment. I have always dreamt of visiting Venice because world wide, I regard it as the best place for an artist to visit and I also thank Doctor Solomon Guramatunhu for the sponsorship and for making my dream come true."

He added that: "Miss Waste is the artwork I dedicated to all the beautiful girls I saw during my resources finding at the dump sites in Pomona, the streets and Chitungwiza. There is Miss World, Miss Zimbabwe, Miss Harare and many more, so I decided to make Miss Waste as a resemblance of the ladies who stay in those dumping areas."

Musekiwa is into sculpting and he likes to use different types of media which include glue, resin, stone and found objects. He has had exhibitions in different countries which include Germany, South Africa and France among others. His exhibitions include Fearless Whispers (2014) at KooVha Creative Hub in Harare, Berliner Liste Art Fair (2012) in Berlin, Germany, Jo'burg Fringe Art Fair (2012) in Johannesburg, South Africa, Young Zimbabwean (2011) in Bangkok, Thailand, Harare Paris, Pavé d'Orsay (2011) in Paris, France, Art & the City (2011) at First Floor Gallery, Peace of Art (2011) at the Zimbabwe German Society Youth Art Competition finalist, Bukira (Fresh Growth 2011) which he did together with Mujati and Dzingai at First Floor Gallery and Kristin Diehl Prize (2010).

Musekiwa works at Chitungwiza Mhonda Village. To him, art refreshes his mind and is used to speak different languages by visualising. He says, "Visual is better than vocal." His influences for making Miss Waste include his colleagues Johnson Zuze, Sky Skalanje, his father, Kennedy Musekiwa and Option Nyahunzvi. He relates art to praying. "If you pray, God answers and if you work, you succeed." His statement is, "Consider pure joy on your first trials of mankind."