Seeking her own counsel.
Discovering excellence.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Gallery Delta continues to provide young female artists the opportunity to shine. A recent exhibition dubbed Past & Present gave the post-Covid-19 lockdown audience a chance to re-discover Prudence Chimutuwah’s gregariously complexioned mostly female subjects. Her work simultaneously challenges the history of art and confronts patriarchy.
One of Chimutuwa’s colorfully bold pieces on exhibition is titled ‘Thinker’. The subject is a young woman seated in a masculine posture, with a gesture that suggests her chin is propped on her first. Her parted legs seductively bare a thigh. The unsmiling face and direct stare are discomforting to a voyeur. She commands serious attention.
Drawing, painting, and collage were combined to complete the artwork on canvas. The sitter’s laced up high heeled boots are composed from decommissioned Zimbabwean currency. They can be read as a literal translation for the Shona metaphor and figure of speech, shangu yemari / expensive shoe. The artist is known to give her female subjects the blue complexion as a sign of royalty. Elevation of women defines her inspiration, and goal. Behind the cocky title lies a challenge against condescending stereotypes and sexist notions about women. By reverting to her own thought processes the young woman finds autonomy and independence.
The title and the posture of the sitter bear resemblance to a bronze sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin. Unlike the European Master, Chimutuwa’s subject is young, Black, and female. While Rodin’s Caucasian male broods under the weight of lofty philosophical matters, Chimutuwa’s sitter is alert and engaging. Her attitude is wistful, contemplative, even scheming. Probably the kind of thinking that can be expected from a young woman who buys expensive shoes for herself.
