Born 1987 in Rusape, Zimbabwe, Wycliffe Mundopa Hupenyu lives and works in Harare and is almost undoubtedly one of the most passionate and committed painters of the lives of women and children in the capital’s underprivileged neighbourhoods. His works speak out with passion at anger, cynicism, and compassion, acknowledging those too often swept under the carpet by society with a relentless commitment. His work also becomes an opportunity to see how painfully and vibrantly women’s lives reflect the conflicts of tradition and change of life in contemporary life in Zimbabwe, from the clash of moral codes to the economic strain, which makes children into adults too soon. The artist presents people without adornment or judgment – the mothers, the prostitutes, the caregivers, the breadwinners, the beautiful and the ugly, the selfish and the greedy. His exceptional skill as a draftsman brings a masterful ease to his paintings, as well as stencil collages and spray-paint drawing and painting. It has also won him acclaim and popularity with both collectors and critics. His works are collected and exhibited as far wide as Hong Kong, Kenya, Australia, France, UK, Germany and The Netherlands, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.
