The appreciation of geographical features surrounding his neighbourhood in Glen Norah inspired visual artist Kufa Makwavarara to be an artist, who mainly focuses on the natural environment in his paintings.
Report by Tawanda Marwizi The painter recently scooped a second prize at a visual arts competition at Gallery Delta.
“I used to go in the bush in Glen Norah before the vegetation was destroyed to pave way for the development of residential stands. I was inspired by the nice features out there and when I started my career I just thought of them,” said Makwavarara.
Born on June 22 in 1983, Makwavarara did his primary and secondary education in Glen Norah where his talent was nurtured.
“At school I would draw some features on chalk boards and my teachers encouraged me to pursue art because the drawings were good.
“Though inspired by the geographical features surrounding Glen Norah, I grew up going to church so I decided to put some biblical verses into paintings, so you will see some paintings with a biblical background.”
Makwavarara is however concerned about the closure of some galleries in the country which he described as a major blow to development of the arts.
“A lot of galleries have closed and we were relying on a few remaining ones. We hope more galleries will be opened so that artists get exposure.”
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The artist’s hope remains on Gallery Delta, which is one of the surviving galleries in the country.
However, the gallery announced that if it continues to face financial constrains, it might also be forced to close in the next couple of months.
