"Through art we find meaning, purpose and definition. Above all we find worthy Vibration to the pulse of life." - Ronald Muchatuta
In the last twenty years, Ronald Muchatuta has emerged as a fiery, passionate and undaunted visual artist who is determined to use his platform as a means of change and discourse in our contemporary context.
Hailing from Zimbabwe, Ronald explores potentially Zimbabwe’s largest social issue: the Diasporic community. Through his work, Ronald examines the effect of leaving one’s homeland physically, spiritually and psychologically. For Muchatuta, art is a means of communication and connection: an inherently social and political dialogue that is engaged by the creator and the viewer. Art gives important context to our individual and collective lives.
His work is fraught and harrowing – like a people’s collective nervous breakdown translated onto a canvas. These foreboding themes come from Muchatuta’s own context: a Zimbabwean, his dialogues revolve around the contemporary issues facing the people of Southern Africa – migration, identity politics, post-colonialism and discrimination. As such, his work is strongly influenced by the act of displacement and the relationship between exiles and migrants and their homelands. Muchatuta works across different mediums including illustration, painting, collage and mosaics.
At an early age, he began to explore pottery and mosaics, two disciplines that would influence his later artworks in his quest to make them relatable, tactile and evocative.
Muchatuta's artworks grace numerous private, public and corporate collections including The Spier collection, Hollard, Board members of the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Nandos – fine art collection, US Senate offices and others based in Africa and abroad. He has participated in numerous exhibitions in Africa and internationally including the Stellenbosch Triennale and is often invited to participate in dialogues around issues of pertinence to art and Africa. Muchatuta is represented by The Melrose Gallery.
Africa Present Auction
Latitudes will be co-curating Artnet Auctions’ second Africa Present sale, an auction designed to highlight the work of up-and-coming as well as established artists from the African continent.
Artnet is a leading resource for buying, selling, and researching art online. Founded in 1989, the online platform has revolutionised the way people discover and collect art today. “Latitudes is thrilled to be able to partner with a giant of the industry, in order to both broaden the collector base for art from Africa and set values for contemporary, living artists on the auction market,” says Lucy MacGarry, co-founder of Latitudes Online.
The Africa Present auction, a partnership between Artnet and Africa First by Serge Tiroche, is a dynamic initiative that uses the reach, contacts, and capabilities of Artnet’s global art marketplace to raise awareness about contemporary artists from Africa. In a forward-thinking bid to feature artists across all career stages, the auction lots are categorised into three sections: Meet, Support and Invest.
Participating artists for the Meet selection include, among others: Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Lwando Dlamini, Kimathi Mafafo, Manyaku Mashilo, Sthenjwa Luthuli and Shakil Solanki.
Bidders can also expect to find notable works by artists such as Bouvy Enkobo, Dennis Muraguri, Ablade Glover, and Joseph Ntensibe in the Support and Invest sections of the sale.
Auction Details:
August 31 - September 14, 2021
To enquire about any of the artworks in this exhibition
Further Reading In Articles
African Artist Directory