@cultured_mag

Kudzanai-Violet Hwami (@mwana.wevhu) wants the choice to reveal herself—or not. The London-based, Zimbabwean artist uses the act of painterly obfuscation to expel the idea that figuration must always explore identity. As one of the four recipients of the inaugural Biennale College Arte grant and residency at this year's edition of the Venice Biennale, her installation of paintings, floor-to-ceiling photographs and a sound piece turned heads for its color and form, and the sentiment behind it: fracturing her picture planes and employing visual markers of censorship, the artist takes on what she has called the supposed inescapable nature of identity when you are a minority, especially if you are making figurative painting.⁠ ⁠ At the link in our bio, read the full story by @camilambarshee. Portrait by @cathyland1