Misheck Masamvu

Misheck Masamvu’s boldly colored paintings blend abstraction and figuration, and offer a powerful expression of the artist’s experience of the political and social situation in his native Zimbabwe. Masamvu combines the dual influences of German Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism with the gestural brushwork of Abstract Expressionism in works that exude a palpable sense of unease. In Gift from John Baptist (2017), Masamvu turns the familiar motif of John the Baptist’s head on a platter into something far more sinister by portraying a skull-like visage atop a still living body, suggesting corruption, “living” sacrifice, or worse. Although best known for his paintings, Masamvu also creates sculptures and works on paper. In his recent work, he has addressed the inequities at work within the artworld. The rapidly disappearing figure in Inglorious chambers (2020) communicates an overwhelming lack of agency, while the figure lying prostrate in Gift of life (2020) appears to be begging for recognition.