'I believe that I am not making objects exactly, but statements which are meant to change the lives of my people, the image of my country, and the world at large. Through my work I collide the laws and policies of my country against the excretes of its society.'
—Moffat Takadiwa
Born in 1983, Moffat Takadiwa is a Zimbabwean artist who is currently based in Harare. As one of the most acclaimed artists on the emerging African art scene, Takadiwa is known for his conceptual and intricate wall sculptures that are made from discarded materials, which often include spray-can debris, bottle caps and computer keyboard pieces. Exemplified in the present work, Land of Money and Honey draws attention to Takadiwa’s practice on themes of spirituality, colonialism, cultural identity and environmental issues.
Takadiwa skilfully transforms the results of post-colonial disregard into free-flowing, earth-toned mosaics and other criss-cross patterns that connect us to current movements in Africa designed to decolonise the cultural landscape. Initially, the artist used found materials due to inaccessibility of what is considered ‘conventional mediums’ during difficult times in Zimbabwe. Takadiwa admits that, ‘Now, I think found materials help me say what I want to say. I use them more like evidence of how my society is living.’i
Bottle caps, lids, medicine caps, toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, rings and other disposable, everyday objects are given longevity and a second chance, by being weaved into organic forms and becoming part of detailed compositions that speak of Zimbabwean life and tradition. When describing his work, Takadiwa tells, ‘I feel my country background still dominates in my work. Reminiscences of tobacco farms and issues of the land and the environment are all influenced from my farm background.’ii
In one of the largest landfills in the country, Takadiwa found beauty and his artistic aesthetic while shining light on the massive dumping grounds that cripple local industries in Zimbabwe, encouraging the viewer to question consumerism, commodity distribution and the imbalances in trade. The assembled tapestries play on the contrast between necessities and our daily vanities, questioning the distance between abundance and poverty.
