The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
Chinhoyi University of Technology has been breeding enterprising artistes who are able to stand on their own. Students studying Creative Arts and Designing at the institution have to host their own solo exhibitions as part of their course work. This not only empowers students to be independent, but also gives them a chance to show what they are capable of to art collectors, gallery owners and art scouts among others.
Chipo Mushangwe, a student in her final year at the university, recently held her first solo exhibition at Palm Spring Gardens in Harare. Themed “Chaotic”, the two-day exhibition was a huge success, with a reasonable number of people turning up.
The artwork displayed Mushangwe’s abilities in printmaking, textile designing and photography. Of the 53 pieces on show, she sold at least 15 artworks on the first day of the exhibition.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail Leisure, Mushangwe spoke of how she was overwhelmed by the response.
“I did not think that so many people would turn up for my exhibition considering that this is the first time hosting my own event. It was so overwhelming to have people who came and actually bought some of my art pieces,” said Mushangwe.
The Marondera-born artiste was brought up in an artistic family, which might be the reason why she has become good at it after choosing this career path.
“Growing up I was not into art but my mom is a fashion designer, my dad is a professional photographer and my young brother was doing art at one point.”
The 25-year-old only developed the passion when she was already studying Art at CUT.
“My first experience in art was back in primary school when we were taught to draw those funny stick people but I never developed an interest. When I was enrolling at CUT, I wanted to take up Travel and Tourism but someone encouraged me to take up art instead and that is how I ended up in that department.
“During the first year, things were a bit tough for me because I was still trying to get a grip on the concepts but as time went on I realised that I was actually good at art and things got easier for me with more practice.”
Mushangwe named her exhibition “Chaotic” to describe her first encounter with university life.
“My first days at university were a bit chaotic which is why I decided to go with that theme for my first exhibition. The way the artwork was arranged was chaotic and we even arranged for some of the proceedings to have traces of chaos to go with the theme.”
The art pieces consisted of wide ranging themes including wildlife, people, fashion and pottery among other things. Mushangwe’s artistry shows a lot of potential in the industry considering the quality in the artwork she showcased at her exhibition.
Many other students have also been exhibiting their work at various venues across the country with most of them displaying exceptional talent.
