For the past ten years, Moffat Takadiwa has collected discarded computer keyboards, toothbrushes, pens, and bottle caps among numerous other objects. He conceives of sweeping, abstract forms that from a distance emphasize curving, organic forms and pops of color. Up close, the pieces reveal deconstructed, everyday items bound into expansive tapestries.
Based in Mbare, a working-class suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, Takadiwa taps into the city’s informal economy of recycling and reselling the vast quantities of second-hand electronics and plastics imported from Europe.
Detail of “Age of Exploration”
Since the late 20th century, artists like El Anatsui, Ifeoma U. Anyaeji, and Takadiwa have comprised a dynamic movement of African artists who work exclusively with recycled or repurposed materials.
In his solo exhibition, The Reverse Deal at Semiose, the artist continues his exploration of the legacy of colonialism, geography and global trade, and the visual potential of language. The title reads like a trade agreement, nodding to historical economic and political maneuvers by European nations to control the flow of goods through colonized African regions.
The computer keys represent what the artist describes as a decolonized vocabulary, connecting the present to the past while addressing the nature of interdependent communities around the world.
“Moffat Takadiwa’s works are akin to algorithms relentlessly producing variants of the same narrative,” says curator N’Gonné Fall in the exhibition statement.
“Yellow for Gold” (2024), toothbrush heads, belt buckles, and computer keys, 92 15/16 × 74 7/16 × 3 15/16 inches
The artist consistently returns to the motif of the circle, invoking a symbol of infinity and a universal form found in everyday objects. The shape also mirrors of the outline of Great Zimbabwe, the medieval capital of a kingdom that spanned present-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
He is fascinated by the role of waterways as transport routes for goods, both historically and today, and the way vestiges of colonialism continue to impact contemporary society.
The Reverse Deal in Paris through November 16. Takadiwa is also represented by Nicodim, where you can explore more of his large-scale works, and find more on the artist’s Instagram.
“Belt re-simbi/metal belt” (2024), plastic computer and calculator keys and belt buckles, 57 1/16 × 143 11/16 × 5 7/8 inches
Installation view of ‘The Reverse Deal’ at Semiose, Paris
“White Circle” (2023), computer keys in plastic, 69 11/16 × 69 11/16 inches
“The tobacco farms” (2024), computer and calculator keys, bottle tops, and toothbrushes in plastic, 78 3/4 × 57 1/16 × 1 15/16 inches
“White toothpaste b” (2024), tubes of toothpaste, defunct bank notes, and metal belt buckles, 21 5/8 × 19 11/16 × 19 11/16 inches
Installation view of ‘The Reverse Deal’ at Semiose, Paris
Detail of “KoreKore Handwriting III” (2023), computer keys and toothbrush heads in plastic, 100 13/16 × 67 11/16 inches
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