Shamilla Aasha | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 (age 48–49) |
| Education | Diploma in Textile Design,Bulawayo School of Art & Design (2000) |
| Known for | Mixed media painting, textile-art, soft sculptures, wall-hangings |
| Style | Contemporary mixed media, textile art, installation |
Shamilla Aasha (born 1977) is a Zimbabwean artist and educator based in Bulawayo, whose work blends painting, textile art and found-objects to explore identity, culture, spirituality and the experiences of women in Zimbabwe. [1]
Aasha was born in Hwange in 1977 and later raised and educated in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. [2] [3] She earned a Diploma in Textile Design from the Bulawayo School of Art & Design 2000. [4] [5]
Aasha's practice spans painting, textile work, embroidery, found-objects and soft sculptures. [6] In 2018 she re-engaged with textile art, drawing on her multicultural background as a woman of Shona and Indian heritage living in the Matabeleland region of Zimbabwe. [7] Her works investigate how merging cultures, traditional practices, identity, spirituality and the social status of women intertwine, often through metaphors of fabric, stitching and layered patterns. [8] She describes her textile-based pieces as "sacred objects" and uses sewing patterns, fabric and thread to build new visual languages, layering old materials to create a palmistry-language of marks and stitches. [9] Her output defies easy categorisation, oscillating between painting and textile installation, weaving tapestry and mixed-media collage. [10]
Aasha has been active in exhibitions locally, regionally and internationally since the late 2000s. [11] [12] Key exhibitions include her solo show Tomorrows/Today at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in 2023 (with First Floor Gallery Harare) in Cape Town, South Africa. [13] She also showed at the Artissima art fair in Turin, Italy, in 2022 and again in 2023. [14] In 2024 she participated in the group exhibition To Those Who Came Before Me at First Floor Gallery Harare in Zimbabwe and also in the RMB Latitudes Art Fair in Johannesburg, South Africa. [15]
Aasha's work has been noted for its layered approach to cultural identity and the positioning of female experience within broader sociocultural frameworks. For example, a curatorial text describes her 2024 exhibition as showing a journey of liberation recognizing that our physical reality is only one small component of the totality of our being. [16] Her inclusion in programs such as the First Solo experimental residency (Bulawayo/Harare) underscores her role among emerging voices in Zimbabwean contemporary art. [17]
Aasha lives and works in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and in addition to her studio practice she remains involved in education and mentorship. [18] [19] She founded the Asha Children's Trust an organisation creating safe spaces for young creatives outside the formal education sector. [20]
| Year | Exhibition | Venue / Location | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "To Those Who Came Before Me" (group) | First Floor Gallery Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe | [21] |
| 2023 | "Tomorrows/Today" (solo) | Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa | [22] |
| 2022 | Artissima | Turin, Italy | [23] |
| 2021 | "Breathing Time" (solo) | First Floor Gallery Harare, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe | [24] |