HOLD MY HAND

Hugh Hatitye Mbayiwa
Mhondoro, Zimbabwe, 1973

When viewing the paintings of Hugh Hatitye Mbayiwa, one can almost feel the sun and truly sense the aromas of nature. The rich palette of colors found in natural spectacles is reflected in the preferred color range of the Zimbabwean artist. Hugh Hatitye Mbayiwa was born in 1973 in Mhondoro as the first of seven children. His path to art was a challenging one, as art education was not offered at rural secondary schools.

After years in exile, Hugh returned to Mhondoro to introduce art education at Rio Tinto Mhondoro High School. During his time as a teacher, he realized there was a lack of adequate classroom space. With the support of the school’s parents and German benefactors, this vision became reality: in 2010, an art center was officially opened at the school by the Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Hugh was appointed patron and protector of the center.

Hugh primarily works with acrylics, oil paints, and mixed media on canvas or wood. He employs bright, vibrant colors combined with fine, intricate patterns that interpret Africa on a “smiling day.” In his earlier works, rural life and nature were central themes, strongly shaped by his upbringing in the countryside. Over time, however, his practice has evolved significantly. Hugh has expanded his media base toward contemporary abstraction, increasingly creating sculptures, installations, and works made from recycled materials. His works may be figurative or landscape-based. Hugh describes his style as a means of communication, firmly believing that art is a language—one that he fortunately speaks almost fluently. He uses this gift to explore and inhabit his own creative world.

Lionel Tazvitya Mbayiwa
Chegutu, Zimbabwe, 1982

“My faith and my culture have shaped the way I work conceptually, and my upbringing has influenced how I channel my thoughts into my work—through painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography. At a time when there was no technology, stories and fables kept us alive, and this has helped me in my artistic production today. For this reason, I use animals as figures in my works, as metaphors. Myths, faith, and culture are part of my story,” explains Lionel Tazvitya Mbayiwa.

“I use oil pastels as an underlayer and apply acrylic or oil paint on top, which I then scrape away so that the lines beneath the surface remain visible.”
Lionel Tazvitya Mbayiwa continues: “Fleeing to a foreign country due to economic and political violence in my homeland became another theme in my storytelling, as did the movement of Black people in general—whether voluntary or forced.”

Mbayiwa also reflects on history, ancestral worship, and prehistoric discoveries: “The technique and the way I draw animals remind me of the cave and rock paintings of our ancestors, who sought to document their way of life.” Lionel Tazvitya Mbayiwa did not attend an art school; instead, he was taught by his older brother, Hugh Hatitye Mbayiwa. In 2005, he participated in a group exhibition, followed by solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and Gallery Delta.

In 2025, Lionel Tazvitya Mbayiwa presented a compelling survey exhibition in Harare, deeply rooted in his Zimbabwean heritage and personal development, while simultaneously opening perspectives beyond his own cultural horizon. His major influences—Hieronymus Bosch, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall—have had a lasting impact on his work. Mbayiwa combines Bosch’s surreal symbolic power, Picasso’s expressive deconstruction of form, and Chagall’s poetic world of color with a sense of floating lightness, creating a distinctive contemporary African visual language.