FADZAI MWAKUTUYA
I am an innovative woman and artist from Zimbabwe who has a broad career in arts in the UK and Zimbabwe. Embracing a creative outlook on life I have adopted Scotland as my home and creative thinking space.
The process of creating my personal artwork explores unconventional mark making techniques such as charring, using textile resist methods and sculptures. Building my artwork layer upon layer is a cathartic process and allows me to transcend and remove myself from the challenges of daily life. I reuse found objects and natural materials to find new meanings within the layers of colour and texture. Zimbabwean traditional Sadza paste in my artwork reminds me of this food that I grew up eating everyday. It both comforts and grounds me attaching me to my motherland like an umbilical cord.
I use my artwork to advocate for mental well being within the marginalised communities in Scotland. My artistic ‘voice’ campaigns for ‘stolen identities’ and aims to reclaim my own identity as an artist in a society presenting many barriers to integration and professional development. Thinking or ‘creating outside the box’ allows me to challenge the migration conventions and break away from embedded stereo cast roles enhanced by culture shock and migration strongholds.
I was drawn to taking part in Enough!’s artist residency, Repository of the Undercommons as the project resonates with my values and interests. Creating visuals as a strategy to cope and advocate, is close to my heart. Where accountability is in question and needs to be collectively discussed, art activism, for me, is an impactful way to voice, challenge and campaign against injustice or for justice! Whilst collaborating with artists from abroad, I have forged links within some global arts communities. Locally, I have been exhibiting in the UK for the past 14 years and I have established contacts with the creative community in England and Scotland.
I would like to expand an online audience globally to support the climate change declaration. Thereafter I would like to partner with projects, museums and galleries to curate a travelling exhibition showcasing a universal body of work using an activist theme or combination of themes, e.g.: Protest Banner Images using digital technology and handmade artwork.
This research residency will record modern life as we see it, to inform the future, contributing and providing an educational insight into the policies and procedures that govern world politics and will be archived in varied formats for arts heritage.
In the future I aim to assist and encourage young Zimbabwean and Scottish Artists to collaborate in joint cultural exchange by informing, signposting and curating residencies.
CLIMATE CHANGE CREATIVE COLLECTIVE (CCCC)
CCCC’s agenda will be to visually highlight the climate change crisis. I intend to undertake research, develop and record ideas in response to the climate crisis, focusing on the use of the creative element. I will explore ways to create a simple online library of usable art and design for Artivism against climate change.
This social media platform will invite collaborations with other professionals, primarily young people, to create a visual gallery with images that everyone can access, engaging a global activist resource.
Creating, signposting promoting and managing an interactive creative protest online will require careful and well researched processes and considerations for a successful outcome.
I hope in this way to contribute to campaigns using impactful visuals for print as banners, posters, or online shared banners.
