gadzi
Past Dates
| Dates | Location |
|---|---|
Jun 03 - Aug 23, 2026 |
TATE MODERN, The Tanks, London, UK |
‘There’s no answer to what I’m doing. It’s a gesture I’m offering – a gesture to save the energy of the landscape, to move this energy, and to protect it.’
– nora chipaumire
In this new work, nora chipaumire draws on the legends, stones and soil of her native country, Zimbabwe.
The artist shares, ‘gadzi (shortened from gadziguru) is the oldest female being and a creative force tied to the legends of Shona people. She is connected to sacred places in our country: domboramwari, Great Zimbabwe, Matopos and domboshava. gadzi is a manifestation of everlasting and haunting resilience beyond colonial concepts. She is considered the mother of god, who gave birth to the magnificent Balancing Rocks. Both strong and precarious, the rocks carry the stories and energies of the ancestors from the past into the present and future.’
chipaumire’s gadzi is a ‘living and breathing organism’, constructed entirely by hand. ‘I moved away from trying to represent the rocks as they really exist in nature. Instead, we show the process of making.’ chipaumire builds the sculptures from wood, wire and cardboard, giving new meaning to everyday materials. The figure of gadzi is perched on the top of it all, reflecting.
The film transmits shifts of light and abstracted views of feminine presence in nature. The sounds of chimurenga (revolution) – also a popular music genre – are broadcast through ‘mountains of speaking wood’ and interact with the deep bass of dub sound systems. The speakers emulate ‘how god was heard through the rocks of Zimbabwe.’ To amplify sound, an mbira instrument is housed inside a deze (gourd), while the speakers are embedded in wooden boxes. These handmade, masterfully engineered resonators underscore the genius of African and African diasporic approaches to sound technologies.
You are invited to interact with the installation: peek through the rocks, sit on the speakers to feel the sound and move in response.
‘There’s no answer to what I’m doing. It’s a gesture I’m offering – a gesture to save the energy of the landscape, to move this energy, and to protect it.’ – nora chipaumire
New performances devised by chipaumire took place in the East Tank, 26-28 June 2026. Performance times: 26 June at 7 pm, and 27 and 28 June at 3 pm.
