The burden of false appearances.
Under the smokescreen.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Chakafukidza, the title to Julio Rizhi’s solo exhibition courts speculation and scandal. In urban lingo the expression is bait for gossip mongers. Julio seduces the curious. With a wink and a nod he invites the audience for a ‘tell all’.
A piece titled ‘What is Inside?‘ is made from wire mesh overlaid with gauze wire, and molten plastic in different colors. The title is an enticing proposition. It stokes the viewer's curiosity. The piece however, is not a Pandora’s Box. Lifted from the mesh the gauze leaves a roomy space. Between the gauze and the mesh viscous tentacles of molten plastic have cooled solid. Some gooey plastic has coagulated between the pores and gaps of the perforated base and cover. The piece is at once concealing, and revealing. It fails to contain the substance it holds. Under heat and pressure things warp and melt. Stuff that was covered becomes exposed.
The candy colored molten plastic is attractive. The eye is drawn in to search every nook and cranny. Primed the audience is ready to speculate.
In the times of self-isolation, and social distancing Rizhi’s piece offers a means for contemplation and introspection. It encourages the individual, the family, and the country to acknowledge what has come undone below the veneer of false appearances.
