Moffat Takadiwa – Jameel Arts Centre

Moffat Takadiwa

Second Hand Information

Moffat Takadiwa, Second Hand Information, 2014, Computer Keys, 220 x 171 x 23 cm. Art Jameel Collection. Photograph courtesy of the artist and Vigo Gallery.

Artwork Details

Artist

Moffat Takadiwa

Title

Second Hand Information

Date

2014

Medium

Computer Keys

Dimensions

220 x 171 x 23 cm

Credit Line

Art Jameel Collection

Work Description

Second Hand Information is constructed by weaving together English-language computer keys to create a wall-hanging installation, in both its technique and appearance the work mirrors traditional Zimbabwean textiles, modified into a more contemporary, high-tech aesthetic. In a sharp act of subversion, Takadiwa deconstructs elements of the English language by arranging the keys seemingly randomly, so they are not legible in any way. Takadiwa has also turned most of the lettered keys upside down, with the crown rendered invisible; his material strategies embody struggles around the dominance of English in Zimbabwe and the urgency of preserving and promoting Bantu languages, as well as other aspects of pre-colonial Zimbabwean culture.

The work can be read as a critical reassessment of post- and neo-colonial aspects of the English language, a legacy of Zimbabwe’s former colonial past as the British Crown colony of Rhodesia. Takadiwa reflects on the divisive nature of English, its tendency to exacerbate class divisions in Zimbabwean society and its power to both shape and undermine contemporary constructions of post-independence cultural identity. For Takadiwa, language and culture are inextricably intertwined –especially in the context of post-independence Zimbabwe– and this standpoint is reflected throughout his oeuvre. Takadiwa’s deployment of concepts about cultural information, legacy, and language through the medium of used computer keys seems to grow more timeless as technology increasingly encroaches on our daily lives.

Artist Biography

Moffat Takadiwa (b.1983, Hurungwe, Zimbabwe) lives and works in Harare, Zimbabwe

Moffat Takadiwa transforms post-consumer waste such as computer keyboards, bottle tops and toothbrushes into lush, densely layered sculptures and tapestry-like wall works which address material culture, spirituality and the environment. Moffat takes aesthetic inspiration from his Korekore heritage, his mesmerising organic forms are reminiscent of jewel-encrusted excess or ritualistic minimalism. He is a leading figure within the post-independence generation of artists in Zimbabwe and founder of Mbare Art Space in Harare. His works have been exhibited in the 60th Venice Biennale, Mumok, Vienna, Orange County Museum of Art, California (all 2024); Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort (2023); ARoS, Denmark (2021) and Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, Marrakech (2019), among others. His work is in leading collections, such as Roc Nation Collection, Los Angeles; CC Foundation, Shanghai; Centre National d’Art Plastique, Paris; Collection of Art of European Parliament, Brussels and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.

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