By Reginald Chapfunga
Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life.
There is no better statement to reflect the impact of Pieces to a Piece, a solo visual art exhibition by Renata Tamburayi, a Chinhoyi University student, than the above quotation by John Lubbock in The Pleasures of Life. Currently running in Highlands, Harare, the collection being exhibited by Renata not only brings colour to life but also invokes deep thought about current issues facing society today.
“Speaking about my motivation, I’m mainly inspired by contemporary issues ranging from women emancipation, gender equality, children’s welfare, environment conservation, self-acceptance, and love for one another. I believe art is a form of communication and advocacy that is so effective if rendered well,” explains Renata.
Pieces to a Piece features different art forms, technology and skills that molds an artist. It also reflects on building blocks to one’s wholeness.
“This exhibition is made up of mainly three Dimensional (3D) designs, textile designs, drawings, paintings, and photography. On the 3D mixed media designs, I used simple materials like twigs, fabric balls, tissue paper rolls and glue.
“However, Photography is my area of strength. I categorised it into, product photography, lifestyle photography, portraiture, and conceptual photography. Though all of these are intertwined I like to distinguish them in terms of the approach I use to every situation, manipulation of light and camera angles. Guests have also been impressed by the clarity of photos and emotions expressed by the models I use,” she said.
Renata’s vision is to own a departmental studio mainly focusing on photography, graphic designing and painting.
Born Renata Tatenda Tamburayi and aged 28, she entered the mainstream creative world in 2012 when she participated in the National Allied Arts for the first time under SOS Hermann Gmeiner. She also got some inspiration and art basics at a tender age from her late father Fortune Tamburayi.