PARDON Mapondera Launches First Solo Exhibition at National Gallery of Zimbabwe

PARDON Mapondera opened his first solo show at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare yesterday. The exhibition, titled Dotipaiwo Chiyedza, explores the rise of spiritual intermediaries in Zimbabwe and examines the intersection of body, spirit, and contemporary faith practices.

Mapondera ventures into installation art, using everyday objects such as condiment carafes to explore complex relationships between the physical and spiritual. His work translates familiar items into devices that reflect the tension between tradition and modernity, belief and skepticism.

The exhibition focuses on Zimbabwe’s growing religious pluralism and the prevalence of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity, which accounts for over 84% of the population. Mapondera highlights the blending of traditional African beliefs with Christian practices, revealing how these systems interact and evolve in contemporary society.

The thematic approach contrasts alternative spiritual practices with classical forms, illustrating how younger generations navigate “trad” values alongside contemporary trends. Objects in the installation serve as metaphors for clashing ideologies, exploring their misuse, reinterpretation, and integration within faith, custom, and mysticism.

“Through his work, Mapondera reflects on his own lived experiences, his doubts, revelations, and moments of inner clarity, layering them with ancestral guidance and communal questioning,” said Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa, the exhibition’s curator. Co-curator Zvikomborero Mandangu added, “Mapondera has created work about light and having the courage to seek it.”

Dotipaiwo Chiyedza will run until October, offering visitors an opportunity to engage with a fresh exploration of spirituality and contemporary artistic expression in Zimbabwe.