The details
Southern Guild is growing and are kicking off 2023 with a double-hitter of solo exhibitions by artist Porky Hefer and Zimbabwean painter Wycliffe Mundopa, both opening on Thursday, 9 February.
'Volume 4. Chaos Calamus – Interspecies Reciprocal Altruism' by Porky Hefer:
The launch of a new collection of seating pods woven entirely in Kooboo cane, Hefer’s original material of choice, and incorporating carved timber sculptures by artist Adam Birch for the first time. This body of work reflects on the phenomenon of mutually beneficial symbiosis between species and looks to microbiology in its development of seating typologies, in particular, to amoeba.
A keen observer of natural phenomena, organic forms, animal behaviours, and ecosystems, Hefer’s work is steeped in his fascination with biomimicry. A patch of forest floor, an anthill, the movement of lava, in Hefer’s mind, each unravels a parallel universe that offers a metaphoric lens through which to view our relationship to each other and the world at large. His collections of sculptural seating environments are speculative interventions, a series of playful proposals that take their cue from nature’s unerring adaptability, resourcefulness and interconnection.
'Pachipamwe' (We Meet Again) by Wycliffe Mundopa:
In association with First Floor Gallery Harare, presents a new group of figurative oil paintings bearing visceral witness to the complex lives of Zimbabwe’s women and children. Rooted in the power of truth-seeing and the drama and beauty of the ordinary, Mundopa’s paintings elevate the daily ongoings of his people toward historic significance.
For more than 15 years, Mundopa has harnessed his role as an artist to give visibility and voice to the unseen and unheard. The painter’s work is a response to life as he observes and experiences it. Each of his grand compositions, saturated in their carnivalesque colour and brimming with impassioned gesture, canonises the stories of Harare’s women. Believing in the power of truth-seeing and the drama and beauty of the ordinary, Mundopa’s paintings elevate the daily ongoings of his people toward historic significance.
Both shows run from 9 February to 20 April.