Moffat Takadiwa (b. 1983, Hurungwe) lives and works in Harare, Zimbabwe. Takadiwa transforms post-consumer waste – such as computer keyboards, bottle tops, toothbrushes and toothbrush tubes, – into lush, densely layered sculptures and tapestry-like wall works and sculptures. A prominent voice from the post-independence artist generation in Zimbabwe, Takadiwa’s work centerstage his Korekore heritage while engaging with themes such as consumerism, inequality, post-colonialism and the environment. Takadiwa is also a founder of Mbare Art Space in Harare where he plays a major role in mentoring the growing artist community, establishing the world first artistic center dedicated to repurpose reclaimed materials.
Exhibitions include Possible New Dawn, Nicodim Annex, Los Angeles (2024, solo, forthcoming); Vestiges of Colonialism, Galeria Nicodim, Bucharest (2024, solo); Avantgarde & Liberation, Mumok, Vienna (2024); Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale exhibition, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Venice (2024); Tales of the Big River, Galerie Edouard Manet, Centre d’art contemporain, Gennevilliers (2024, solo); Color is the First Revelation of the World, Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa (2024); Feeling Without Touching, Nicodim, New York (2023); Zero Zero, Semiose, Paris (2023, solo); Vestiges of Colonialism, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare (2023, solo); A Love Letter to LA, curated by Storm Ascher, Superposition Gallery, Phillips Auction House, Los Angeles (2023); Africa Supernova, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort (2023); Nous sommes tous des lichens, Musée d’art contemporain de la Haute-Vienne – château de Rochechouart (2022); The Bull, Semiose, Paris (2022, solo); Brutalized Language, Nicodim, New York (2022, solo); Witch Craft: Rethinking Power, Craft Contemporary, Los Angeles (2021, solo); This is Not Africa: Unlearn What You Have Learned, ARoS Museum, Denmark (2021); Mr. Foreman you have destroyed the farm, Semiose, Paris, France (2021, solo); INXS: Never Before Seen Major Works by Simphiwe Ndzube, Moffat Takadiwa, Zhou Yilun, Nicodim, Los Angeles, CA (2020); Son of the Soil, Nicodim, Los Angeles, CA (2019, solo); Thread., Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach (2019); Stormy Weather, Museum Arnhem, Arnhem, The Netherlands (2019); Second Hand: Selected Works from the Jameel Art Collection, Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai (2019); Material Insanity, Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, Marrakech (2019); The Eye Sees Not Itself, Nicodim, Los Angeles (2018); and Chinafrika. under construction, Museum for Contemporary Art Leipzig (2017).
Collections include: Roc Nation Collection, Los Angeles; CC Foundation, Shanghai; Centre National d’Art Plastique, Paris; Collection of Art of European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium; National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare and more.