Kudzanai Chiurai is an internationally acclaimed young artist (36) born in Zimbabwe. He is the first black student to graduate with a BA Fine Art from the University of Pretoria. His artwork and creations are thought provoking and have captivated audiences around the world. Chiurai started his career by painting landscapes and portraits. He left for South Africa where he developed interest in using art as a form of activism.
His works hang in prestigious art places such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), in Elton John and Richard Branson’s houses. In other words, Chiurai is one the fastest-rising talents in the contemporary African art scene. In addition, his works is a mixed media. He combines paintings and drawings with videos and photographs to address current issues such as democracy and xenophobia.
Chiurai has held numerous solo exhibitions since 2003 and has participated in various local and international exhibitions. Both his solo and group exhibitions acquired Chiurai’s work a magnificent collection. Several of his works have sold in the art market including his painting Fried Chicken which sold for $9,447 at Stephan Welz & Co., Cape Town ‘Decorative & Fine Arts’ in 2013.
2007’s solo show ‘Yellow Line’ interrogated his position as a foreigner during South Africa’s xenophobic attacks. The painted yellow line, a recurring motif, speaks both to the claiming of space through travel and to a delineated separation.
His achievements and awards include:-
2012 FNB Art Prize Winner
2011 Top 200 Young South Africans, Mail & Guardian
2005 Top 100 Dazzlers and Doers in South Africa, Mail & Guardian, South Africa
2003 Most Promising Art Student, University of Pretoria, South Africa
2000 Merit Award, The National Art Gallery, Zimbabwe
