This work has been kindly donated by the artist

Wallen Mapondera is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. He is best known for his complex wall sculptures that create richly tessellated abstract surfaces out of cardboard and textiles. By transforming them into textured visual puzzles, Mapondera rescu🍷es ordinary materials from their typical lifecycle (from factory to commodity to landfill). In this way, his works metaphorically challenge the linearity of time and history.

Muchengetedzi Werunyararo (2022) translates to “The Peace Keeper”. The empty tin 🐭of teargas used in the artwork was picked up by a seven-year-old boy who was sitting beside his mother in their﷽ vegetable market in Zimbabwe. In the work, the violent incident is represented through the cuttings of egg crates, small bumps of red cloth, lines of red string and fabric from a china bag. The china bags are reminiscent of the artist’s mother going to neighbouring countries like South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana to sell her goods. Ultimately, Mapondera aims to draw our attention to the crimes of exploitation, oppression and indifference that undergird even the most mundane objects.