My passion for painting on walls, for graffiti, for wings and things… has inspired this set of wings painted at Pikicha Gallery in Harare, where we are shortly to open an art exhibition, “Burnt Offerings, Re-Invention, Taking Flight” –
I didn’t want ordinary pretty wings – I wanted a feeling of “Burnt Offerings”, power, re-invention, taking flight….a dragon or a Phoenix rising from the ashes, a true Zimbabwe bird, vibrant hornbill colour, eagle strength!!
My preparatory sketch is watched over by Johnson’s Heineken bottle wire bird…..
So, starting with white, painting on the Heineken logo wall at Pikicha…with a kind donation of paints by my friends at Dulux Zimbabwe, who are great supporters of street art and artists in Zimbabwe.
Then, by layering Wild Wonder (Dulux Colour of the Year 2023) with our dear friend Hope Masike, who is also Kelli’s fellow film/composer/music collaborator – we celebrate the soft beginnings, the promise, of these wings..
And of course the red white and green are excellent Heineken colours as well – let’s fly together with the boss of Heineken, Zimbabwe!!!!
Taking Flight… inspired by Zimbabwe Flag colours and one of my canvas paintings…after the soft underpainting, I decide to go bold, go wild!
The Zimbabwe flag colours seem perfect for my wild wings-
So, here comes the green, with wild wonder as the base colour showing through in many places – a great neutral decor shade, perfect with the Heineken logo as well-
I didn’t want ordinary, pretty wings – flaming fiery Dulux red comes next ..!!
I wanted a feeling of “Burnt Offerings”, power, re-invention, Phoenix rising from the ashes, zimbabwe bird, eagle strength, Taking Flight…
Similar to my large Hornbill and Diamond painting on our art show-
Dulux Rainbow Yellow is added at the last…. flames, fire, feathers, wings……..
inspired also by the vibrant flowing, flying Dulux Logo
Reggae Flavaz can’t resist a selfie……
Of course while I complete the wild wings I need to test some Jamaican cuisine … yum…
The Wild Wings are also really vibrant, representing reggae/rasta colours, echoing the Jamaican restaurant Reggae Flavas which adds great Caribbean food to the mix at the Emagumeni Complex in Helensvale- so come for a combined feast of traditional food, barbecue food, wings, (of course?!) Jamaican flavas and of course lots of art -paintings, wire sculpture and art film!
For fans of African/Portuguese cuisine here are one of my Emugameni favorites, peri peri chicken gizzards….with caramelized onions, garlic bread and chakalaka beans – heaven on a fork, flying into my mouth…
Having got carried away by the food on offer at Emagumeni, back to the art…..
Come and get a selfie at Emagumeni/Reggae Flavaz/Pikicha Gallery…..
and view “Burnt Offerings; Re-Invention; Taking Flight….”
Curated by Kuda Chakwaz, this is a collection of paintings and installations by Lin Barrie; wire and found objects art by Johnson Zuze; an art film and photographic installation incorporating body painting, dance, fashion, music by Kelli Barker and her colleagues Faz Pixels and Sebastien Lallemand, (plus Hope Masike and Ivhu Tribe, to name just a few of the wonderful Zimbabwean creatives who have assisted with this film).
Join us at Pikicha Gallery for the opening 2nd and 3rd June, as per invite, and the exhibition remains on view for two months.
wine and wild dogs 