At wit’s end.
With no answer on the horizon.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Having seventeen people put their heads together sounds like the great way to generate a productive idea. If they come up short, it can be awkward and tragic. Richard Witikani imagines the scenario with humor and reproach
Witikani’s painting Ran Out of Ideas shows a bunch of people seeming lost at a crossroads. There is no decipherable crisis. Frustration is the subject of the painting. The people stand around inactive and avoiding eye contact with the viewer and each other. Compositional elements in the picture have not been centered on any individual. Overall responsibility is a shared burden. Grim expressions etched on the various faces convey perplexity and fatigue. The off color marks on some visages may allude to the loss of face. Richard does not suggest a way forward. The viewer remains equally unhelpful.
Traditional wisdom touts collaboration as a key to success. Witikani queries the notion. The situation depicted in his painting rejects common sense. But the artist’s work retains faith in its own way. From completion to hanging before the viewer, the process lends credence to the old wisdom.
