Read on- a wonderful article and great memories of Helen Lieros- here is “Sacrificial Goat, mixed media, by Helen – a formidable yet truly accessible artist- a legend indeed- by Tandazani Dhlakama…

The late Helen Lieros occupied herself with advancing art-making beyond the confines of stone sculpture, shaping the appreciation and reception of art in Zimbabwean society through Gallery Delta and Gallery magazine. Tandazani Dhlakama recalls her indelible imprint whilst revisiting her formidable life and art.
— Read on post.moma.org/helen-lieros-a-practice-underpinned-by-persistence-and-perseverance/

Helen’s last work:

When I first viewed this powerful last work of Helen’s, I was very deeply moved, as months before we had discussed how The Nike of Samothrace, the Greek winged goddess of victory, had entranced me years ago when I learnt about her at art college, and years later started sketching and translating her into some of my artworks… which were to go on exhibition at the “Freedom Exhibition” at Gallery Delta

…such as this “Beyond Beyoncé, Winged Woman”, acrylic and draped canvas, 200 x 300 cm…

Partly in thanks to my mentorship by dear, fierce Helen, I now truly feel like I, with age on me and a lifetime of drawing behind me, am ‘emerging’- building on my past experience but creating deeper and hopefully more compelling storytelling in my art.

Hopefully I can embrace more self/realization, more experimentation and more bold discovery in my older years, a form of “taking flight”, a winged victory….

Helen Lieros mentored me during the months before the “Freedom” exhibition, so shortly before she died, a mentorship that I will always treasure and build on.

I have embraced Helen’s wise art advice – “…taking a step backwards to go forwards” … back to my roots of drawing drawing drawing; life-drawing and draughtsmanship, and then pushing that to larger canvases…

At present that includes my passion for goats, the culture and character of goats and the stories (ngano) and proverbs (Tsumo) worldwide and in Africa, that centre around goats.

My local fabric wrap (Chimatsatsa) is going to be a collage with an acrylic painted goat on canvas, which I am working on. Watch this space!

I’ll feature this wonderful glorious green-horned pattern-

Helen also was a goat lover- depicting them often in her work as sacrificial, beneficial or scapegoat… many representations and always powerful.

Such a universal language goats create- such as the well read and non-voting goat Muriel in Animal Farm by George Orwell…

I am excited!

Thank you for the inspiration, always, dear Helen.

Living on through what is now the Nhaka Gallery (Helen Matsvisi)

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