BY PRECIOUS CHIDA

ZIMBABWEAN artist-cum-curator, Georgina Maxim-Masamvu, believes having a partner who has the same talent as she does, over the years, made her a stronger and more vibrant in the arts.

Maxim is married to artist Misheck Masamvu.

She is also a co-founder and co-director of Village Unhu, an art studio which has been providing space, workshops, residency programmes and exhibitions for artists since 2010.

She told NewsDay Weekender Life & Style yesterday that while pursuing her dream in art, she received backlash from people who thought getting married to a fellow artist would not make her one because they did not know she was already a creative.

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“My worst moment in life was when people continuously said that being married to an artist was not going to make me one even though they didn’t know that when we met I was already regarding painting as my point of study. However, I have managed to confidently exhibit my work all the time. I have been helped to realise it’s possible and I am grateful,” she said.

“It’s really a blessing and the encouragement is amazing. Our children are definitely growing up knowing that the possibilities to become anything are endless.”

Maxim recently christened her work: “Dhunge mutunge” after an age-old stitching method which she has adopted to transform used garments into gigantic stories of stitches, memory, and healing which she is currently exhibiting at the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in Italy.

She said she avoided using a machine to sew and represent her impulse perceiving stitches and hand movements as her unique mode of expression.

Her art, she noted, has not allowed her to point out her best achievements since she became a professional artist in 2000 as she continues to create better things compared to her previous works.

“It has been so difficult to point out my biggest achievements because it looks as if there is still much more to be best. Why? Each time I work something new comes that is better than the one before. It’s as if it continues to feed and grow,” she said.

The 39-year-old art enthusiast said besides being a visual art creator, she is a fashion freak who loves dressing interestingly and also loves bringing her art into cooking in her spare time.

Maxim said although Zimbabwe is full of many skilled artists, there is need to recognise and make them known to develop the arts sector.

“The Zimbabwean visual arts sector is thriving with a lot of passionate artists. The need to work is there. The need to release is there, but the support for the process remains missing. There is too much talent here and all it is asking for is to be recognised and made known as part of the culture and development of the arts. I, however, applaud all those artists who continue to want to make sense even when the conditions don’t allow,” she said.

Maxim’s works have been collected in countries such as the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Brazil, Australia and South Africa.