BIOGRAPHY
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b. 1985, Harare, Zimbabwe
Wallen Mapondera was born in 1985 in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he currently lives and works. Mapondera completed his Masters Degree in Fine Art from Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa in 2019. He was awarded the National Gallery of Zimbabwe Artist-in-Residence Programme hosted at the National Gallery School of Visual Arts and Design Studios in Harare in 2007, and the Artist-in-Residence programme at the Vermont Studio Center, Burlington in Vermont, USA in 2012. In 2015 he was the recipient of Zimbabwe’s prestigious National Arts Merit Award awarded by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.
In 2022 Mapondera will represent Zimbabwe at the 59th Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy, with an exhibition titled I did not leave a sign curated by Fadzai Muchemwa; as well as presenting a solo exhibition of new work titled Chikokoko (Little Pleasures That Count) at Galerie Mitterrand in Paris, France. Mapondera presented a solo booth with SMAC Gallery in the Nova Section of Art Basel OVR: Miami Beach in 2020. Further solo exhibitions include: Chirema Chine Mazano Chinotamba Chakazendama Madziro (Part One), the artist’s MFA exhibition which opened at Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa in 2019; Chirema Chine Mazano Chinotamba Chakazendama Madziro (Part Two) at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town the following year (2020); Moving Targetat SMAC Gallery in Cape Town as well as a solo presentation at Atelier Mondial in Basel, Switzerland, both in 2019; Emergency Exit at Tyburn Gallery in London, UK; and Samusha Weiri Dongo at SMAC Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa, both in 2018; and Tsananguro | Clarifications at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town in 2017.
Notable group exhibitions include: Materealityat Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa (2020); Five Bhobh: Painting at the End of an Era at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa (2018); Familiar Histories: An Unstoppable Force in Contemporary Art Discourse, curated by Raphael Chikukwa, at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, in Harare, Zimbabwe (2017); X: Part III (2017) and Nothing Personal (2016) both at SMAC Gallery in Stellenbosch, South Africa; Between the Sheets at Gallery East in Fremantle, Australia (2012); Colour Africa, Zeitgenössische Kunst Aus Simbabwe at Kulturallmende gUG in Munich, Germany (2011); as well as African Expressions at the University of Avignon in Avignon, France in 2010.
WITHIN AND BETWEEN
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In this new body of work, titled Within and Between, Wallen Mapondera gives attention to the idea of Space, not only in its traditional sense – defined as an unoccupied area, the distance between two things, or a section that measures height, depth, and width where all things exist and move – but especially to non-visible spaces such as the heart and mind, which cannot be dimensionalised. Rather than differentiating between the concepts of ‘within’ and ‘between’, Mapondera seeks to understand how these can exist within a space that cannot be measured – intangible spaces, or spirit forms, such as a soul, a character and a thought. A concept such as love is immeasurable, no matter how much we try to quantify it. Through this work, Mapondera aims to actualize these non-physical spaces – to unpack, record and quantify them – and give them value.
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‘In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.’ John 14 v. 2
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The idea started as a single small box, about the size of a matchbox, which Mapondera made from cardboard. This action spurred on the realisation that all physical enclosed spaces – a room, a car, an elevator – are just boxes that vary in size depending on what they are made for. The above scripture, from the Gospel of John, acted as a departure point. Can one quantify the size of a shelter that could hold a spirit? Is it possible to differentiate between a soul and a spirit, and what purpose do either of these serve? These are questions that go beyond the confines of conventional research. The work Kumba Kwababa Vangu translates to ‘my father’s house’ and is extremely personal to Mapondera. Each sealed cardboard box represents those who have passed, and the materials have been taken from spaces of pleasure and enjoyment in life. Through this, Mapondera imagines them as spaces prepared by God – spirit houses designed for each individual according to what they most valued during their lifetime.
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Like much of Mapondera’s work, repetition acts to define his dominant thought. In this case, it is the box form that is repeated, and through the belief that a spirit can fit into a matchbox, Mapondera is able to dimensionalise and unpack the intangible measurements of non-spaces. The work Library focuses on the non-spaces within a book – the interaction between the text, the presence of the author and their thoughts or ideas – and examines how books, another example of a box shape, are able to make the intangible tangible, bringing thoughts to life and allowing the reader to experience something beyond their own existence.
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Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Mapondera typically uses found objects to address conversations around grief, growth, home and freedom. His use of layering, mending and joining objects that have been cast away goes hand in hand with his constant research into states of existence and his process of dealing with his experiences of loss, acceptance and hopeful prosperity.
