TAKUNDA REGIS BILLIAT
Takunda Regis Billiat
Mbare, Harare’s oldest high-density suburb, is a significant base for Takunda Regis Billiat, who was born in 1990. The suburb not only serves as his current abode but it is the base for his artistic practice.
Takunda’s fascination with materials dates to his childhood years and its significant imprint is still evident through his work as a visual artist. His work is deeply inspired by the vibrant yet challenging urban landscapes of the ghetto, where he grew up.
He spends time collecting, grading, and cleaning materials including flip flops, seeds, wire constructs, and cow horns sourced from local dump sites, botanical gardens, and abattoirs, ultimately transforming them into compelling sculptural compositions.
Conveying art as a spiritual transaction, he imagines and reflects on the experiences of each material form, typically found in a “state of brokenness,” and carefully strips each one with intentionality, binding and bonding the different energies together