Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa

Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa was born on August 13, 1991, in the small asbestos mining town of Zvishavane, located near Masvingo, Zimbabwe. She is a visual artist and holds an M.F.A degree from the prestigious Michaelis School of Fine Art.

Her work delves into a realm of experimentation, exploring themes of identity, femininity, migratory practices, mysticism, and storytelling within the rich tapestry of Shona collective cultures. Chiwa's artistic method is a journey that embraces generational and embodied knowledge, revealing itself through an intuitive art-making process. This unique process allows her to harness both conscious and subconscious capacities, giving life to an evocative sculptural practice that strives to rekindle forgotten and erased histories of her past and culture through reimagining.

Chiwa's art is a testament to her commitment to breathing new life into the narratives of her heritage, making visible what once lay obscured by time, and rekindling the vibrancy of her ancestral traditions.