George Masarira

About the Artist

Abstract artist and creative activist, Masarira uses bold, colourful paintings and drawings to advocate for the visibility and humanity of the urban poor and immigrants — those living at the edge of economic survival. Describing himself as a "radical cosmopolitan artist," his work blends what he calls "lens capturing, emotional raptures, and philosophical triggers," inspired by contemporary events in politics, economics, religion, and environment.

Born in 1990 in Gokwe, Zimbabwe, Masarira trained at the Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre in Bulawayo and completed a residency at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. His solo exhibition JAMBANJA: Urban Chaos Interrupted at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg brought to life the faces, hopes, and resilience of immigrants and the internally displaced — work that has established him as a vital voice in the conversation about cross-border migration between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Based In

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe / Johannesburg, South Africa (working across both)

Medium

Painting and drawing — acrylic and mixed media

Discipline

Abstract painting; cross-border socially engaged art

Themes

Cross-border migration (Zimbabwe ↔ South Africa), internally displaced people, urban poverty, faces and humanity of the marginalised, the politics-economics-religion-environment nexus

Notable Exhibitions

AMBANJA — Urban Chaos Interrupted* (Solo, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, 2023); shows via Strauss & Co.; National Gallery of Zimbabwe (Bulawayo) residency