Tiwani Contemporary is pleased to present Virginia Chihota: Munoonei kana makaditarisa nhai Mwari?/What do you see when you look at me ohh God?
Chihota inimitably visualises her inner world as an emotionally shifting, symbolic terrain—a reconnaissance marked by vigilance, self-questioning, and transformative resolution. These new works originate from a question that unexpectedly came to her, "what do you see when you look at me?".
The recurring motif of a seat, specifically a stool, becomes the pedestal for the represented body (her own) in direct observation and conversation with the Divine. A series of gesturally restless, and physiologically awkward standing or seated positions figure clearly in Chihota's visual ruminations, acknowledging the reality of what's experienced as opposed to the reality of what might be seen by others.
Our shows will synergistically align with London Gallery Weekend 6-8 June 2025, and the Cork Street 100 exhibition: Fear Gives Wings to Courage, curated by Tarini Malik, commencing 10 July 2025.
About the Artist
Virginia Chihota was born in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, in 1983, and now lives and works in New York, USA. Her deeply introspective work is shaped by both landmark and everyday personal experiences. She reflects on themes of intimacy, kinship, bereavement, faith and transformation. Chihota’s distinctive approach blends screen-printing with drawing and painterly gestures, creating unique works marked by striking complexity. The female form often emerges in her work, blending into near abstraction, and her iconography highlights female agency challenging borders. Her art emphasises subjectivity as an interconnected concept, where individuals, communities and the environment are bound together.
