HARARE’S art scene is thriving, with emerging sub-cultures driven by young creatives who are reimagining their surroundings, sparking conversations, and expressing themselves through music, dance, visual art, fashion, and other creative outlets.
Recently, Dark Art Matter(s) (DAM), a local art collective founded by multi-disciplinary creative Thando Mlambo, has been at the forefront of championing niche communities and providing platforms for creatives to showcase their work.
DAM’s latest activation, Waxing Moon: Black (D) emotions, was a debut art exhibition by 22-year-old Ushe Brown, son of the late guitar virtuoso Andy Brown.
Hosted at Alliance Francaise de Harare on January 18, the event featured eight paintings, seven fabric-painted denim jackets, and three sculptures crafted from recycled materials transformed into wearable suits reminiscent of sci-fi movie costumes.
“The suits are for a project called ArcRising that I am working on with my brother. I am a creator, who loves making suits and creating comics for my fantasy worlds. I am also a script writer,” Ushe told IndependentXtra, adding that they will be running another exhibition in April as part of a music project that he is working on.
“I use suitcases, copper wire, presused batteries and lights to create the engineering aspect of the lights for my suits. It took me three months to create and complete all the pieces that make up this exhibition.
“As a multi-platform creative, I like to use different mediums depending on the message that I am trying to communicate through my art.”
In ArcRising, the artist explained that the characters reside within the Arc universe, each of them with a unique backstory that raises the stakes of that world.
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“The figures are armoured with bespoke, handmade renditions of Batman suits, creating a visual dialogue between strength, vulnerability and individuality. The work seeks to reimagine these characters not just as art but as wearable sculpture, challenging conventional ideas of body, armour and adornment,” reads part of the curatorial statement.
“The exhibition explores the intersection of identity, emotion and transformation through a vibrant, otherworldly lens. It showcases a series of paintings that feature women of all races and ontologies — each depicted in a style that blends manga (Japanese comic books), comic book aesthetics and elements of superhero costumes.
“The use of the ‘waxing moon’ motif symbolises growth and emergence, as the figures in each piece begin to manifest their own power, building towards a full realisation of self.”
Mlambo wrote: “When Ushe and I first started talking about an exhibition for his work, three years ago, we were younger, more naive and still wholly obsessed with the moon. As the moon waxes, it grows from darkness toward illumination, symbolising the evolution of emotion and the potential for new beginnings.
“The waxing moon, traditionally associated with positive growth, is a fitting metaphor for this exhibition as we embark on the year 2025.”
Ushe added: “Working with DAM was something that made the most sense. I did not feel like anyone else could have executed this exhibition the way they did. I felt rewarded for my creativity through sharing with others.”
The event was a multi-dimensional artistic presentation and collaboration with local creative hub COMEXPOSED. Singer, songwriter and composer, Chengeto Brown, performed live and later made way for the genre-defying outfit, Bantu Spaceship with DJ PIA closing off the session.
