resolutions, one major artist has already succeeded in what he intended to achieved.
Cosmos Shiridzinonwa unzipped the ‘don’t ask or tell policy’, unravelling mind provoking chronicles in a sophisticated way outside our pattern of thinking.
The struggle to find peace from within, heal from pain and suffering from the menacing emotions devouring the hearts of many because of the genuine injustices of mankind, prompted the established painter to unveil ‘Chronicles’, a phenomenal solo painting exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare.
The size of the work, the intricacies of each and every subject using unforgiving timid brush strokes in impasto and the controlled use of colour strongly cements the house-hold name Shiridzinonwa is in Zimbabwean art.
For about two decades to the nearest, Cosmos has been an ultimate social commentator through his oil paintings, revealing to the surface the daily concerns of the majority, be it economical, political or social. He has since been recognised for his undisputed contribution to the country’s visual arts, being rewarded with numerous awards and achieving international status.
Currently an educationist heading the Fine Art department at Harare Polytechnic where he studied his art several years ago, Shiridzinonwa has never been hesitant to speak out his mind even on issues that are sometimes considered to be extremely sensitive.
Every time when something inhumane is perpetrated against us, we take ages wondering what hit us and why the wind is never seen, adopting the ‘neither ask nor reveal’ policy because of fear. We condemn ourselves to the world of zombies and become a desperate nation in need of healing. But healing is unachievable without revealing the truth and bringing to book the perpetrators.
“Only the truth can set a man free”, but who has been recording the truth? Who is willing to unravel the ‘chronicles’ and at what cost?
Serious artists like Cosmos have been a thread of inspiration to many aspiring young and upcoming as well as the established artists of various genres.
On the official opening of his major show for 2011, Cosmos Shiridzinonwa said, “The ‘Chronicles’ exhibition is very close to my heart in that it consists of the major works that I have produced over a couple of years.
These are recordings of events that have occurred in our country, events that have been experienced in many homes and also moments I wish should occur in our country.
“I wish for an audience that carefully analyses my work and think deeply about it so that they get the message that I have put across in the work.”
The same sentiments were echoed by Zimbabwe’s own art old master, Helen Lieros, who was the anointed guest of honour. Helen Lieros has been Shiridzinonwa’s main art tutor since his early days, visiting the co-founder of the then Gallery Delta at their gallery now known as Gallery Delta Foundation for Arts and Humanities.
Lieros is a major artist who has contributed immensely to the country’s fine art for several decades. The well-attended art exhibition had largely huge representational abstract paintings with unusual subjects of human skulls, deserted homes, beleaguered portraits, unchronicled files in cabinets to highlight a few.
A huge master piece titled ‘Dying Faculties’ reminds us of the sad times when our country’s health sector collapsed and many witnessed the suffering lay in hospital beds without adequate medication or at times without any treatment.
Many succumbed to the era as medical practitioners frequented industrial actions. The painting portrays a total breakdown in communication of the ill as they sadly cover themselves with old worn out hospital blankets on wheeled hospital beds without any medical practitioner in sight.
In the foreground a man who is supposed to be monitoring the patient sits asleep on a chair covered with a white dust coat, his head over his folded arms on a green blue top table before a clipboard with the patient list.
Ahead of him to the right is an empty hospital stretcher bed that blocks the way to the patient’s hall. Further blockade is from a cylindrical blue trash-can that is placed in tandem with the stretcher bed as a sick man lies uncovered on a waiting wooden bench to the left of the trash can.
‘Lest We Forget’ brings a story of a room full of human skulls in shelves and filing cabinets, files, weapons, masks, clothing and shoes of various sizes fill the room without any one in sight.
But strangely through an open doorway into another bright room, two chairs face each other with a small table in-between with two wine glasses and an empty bottle of scotch. Alcohol consumption seemed to be the driving agent to the endurance of the ever hard working investigators.
Other pieces of major interest included ‘The Great Banquet’, ‘The Great Discovery’, ‘Sleeping Man’, ‘The Great Termite Revolution’, and ‘Urban Scape’ among others.
l Stephen Garan’anga is an international fine art practitioner, independent art projects coordinator, chairperson of AfricanColours Artists, executive member Batapata International Artists’ Workshop, critical visual arts writer among other things. He can be contacted on [email protected]

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