Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude on Winning the 2024 FNB Art Prize and Putting Zimbabwe on the Map

For Nyaude, art is a way to speak other languages, to connect with people universally. His understanding and use of color demonstrate a student loyal to their craft. The images he conjures are mere suggestions that seem incomplete, like a thought that hasn’t been finalized. He is inspired by the rich idioms and proverbs of the Shona language.

“They have got a long historical significance. I live in a neighborhood where we now use these idioms as slang. For me, it’s that change whereby we’re preserving our language through slang,” he says.

Nyaude is also heavily inspired by what goes on in the streets, and this bleeds through to his paintings. The figures in his work are often fashionably dressed, with the dapper sneaker on their feet to match. “I’m an old-school type of painter. I just stick to the basics. I use oil paints and charcoal drawing sticks. Growing up in the streets, there was a lot of graffiti, so I use spray paint as well in the work.”

The artist has already started conceptualizing his solo show to be held in 2025 as part of the award requirements. “It’s one of my big projects that I want to do from the heart. I’m this young kid who grew up in a small township in Harare, but now it seems like the whole continent has opened its doors. They want to see how far I can stretch, and how I can engage [in] my practice.”

Nyaude managed to find gallery representation shortly after he went professional in 2008, and has been involved in a string of solo and group exhibitions ever since. He understands the implications of being part of a gallery space as an artist, and is comfortable with the demands. “It’s a relationship where you need to understand what they put on the table. If you have a gallery, they will help you with things like residencies. It’s a big pool where a lot of things could happen, and working with a gallery keeps me financially stable,” he says.

The themes that underscore his work are mostly socio-political, such as drugs, unemployment, and the general state of African society. “I think it’s an exciting time right now to be in Africa. It’s always been. I just try to be authentic and be the best version of myself,” he says.

Nyaude looks up to artists like William Kentridge and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He doesn’t have an assistant at the moment, but dreams of a time when he can employ many people to work on his piece, just like Kentridge. “To have 10 people working with you, you have created an industry. These people are now able to depend on you, and you depend on them.

Zimbabwe is not an easy country to exist in. The economic downturn that has gripped the country since the dawn of the 21st century has made it especially difficult to do business reliably. So we end our conversation by discussing what has enabled Nyaude to keep surviving up until now. “We are slowly beginning to have a domestic market. My gallery managed to show my work around the world through art fairs and through shows that I did. My inspiration comes from home, and whatever I do, I get to re-invest that money around my people.”