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Humphrey Chimombo

Naledi Sande : Arts reporter

Kwekwe-based visual artiste, Humphrey Chimombo is set to hold his debut exhibition next month in his hometown. Chimombo is a self-taught photo-realist artiste who began his art in 2002 when he was still doing his primary education. “Cars, cartoons, animals and music inspire me to do art and after high school, I have been fusing my knowledge of physics, mathematics and geography with art to produce hybrid automotive-nature township scenery landscapes,” said Chimombo.His work has previously been credited as they were part of Kwekwe Polytechnic’s award-winning art collection for Tertiary Institutions Festival of Arts, Research and Intellectual Expo-Science, Engineering and Technology, Kwekwe Expo and Symposium in 2015.

Throughout the past decade, he has presented his works to various organisations such as Kwekwe Environmental Education Program in 2005, British Council, Copa Coca-Cola, and Lions Club International.

Chimombo uses social media platforms to market his work since hyper-realism art is overlooked in Zimbabwe and some popular artists have stuck to abstract and contemporary art.

“It is a pity that this form of art does not win awards like the National Arts Merit Awards when it is polluting people’s phones,” he added.

He hopes the debut solo exhibition will expose the importance of his type of art to some art followers and open avenues for him and other artists of his genre.