!['pane rima rakakomba [1] (there’s too much darkness)', 2023. courtesy of stevenson and david zwirner.](https://10and5.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Pane-rima-rakakomba-1-Theres-too-much-darkness-2023.-Courtesy-of-Stevenson-and-David-Zwirner-e1770892424225.jpg)
Norval Foundation opens Tanda rima, a new exhibition by leading Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera. The exhibition features new works exploring spirituality, care and memory.
Norval Foundation opens Tanda rima, a new exhibition by Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera, on Tuesday, 17 February 2026 at 6pm. The exhibition forms part of the wider programming around the Investec Cape Town Art Fair.
Based in Harare, Zvavahera is known for paintings that draw on dreams, memory and lived experience. Her work often moves between spiritual and everyday worlds, using repeated symbols, layered surfaces and strong colour. The paintings reflect personal narratives shaped by faith, family and inner life.
Speaking ahead of the opening, Norval Foundation museum director Caroline Greyling referenced Zvavahera’s recent institutional exhibitions in the United States and Europe, and noted the timing of the show during a busy period for the local art calendar. She said the work engages themes such as life and loss, which continue to resonate across different audiences.
“We trust that local and international visitors alike will find resonance with Zvavahera’s vivid imagery and themes inspired by core human experiences, including life and loss” – Caroline Greyling, Norval Foundation Museum Director
The exhibition title, Tanda rima, loosely translates from Shona as “chase away the darkness”. It follows Zvavahera’s 2023 Cape Town exhibition, Pane rima rakakomba (“there’s too much darkness”). The language choice reflects how the artist thinks and works. The exhibition draws on themes of motherhood, care, spirituality and transition.
Tanda rima includes three new works. Among them is Gamuchirai minamato (“receive my prayer”), which shows figures gathered beneath a tree, and Nzimbo tsvene (“a holy place”), featuring angelic forms guiding souls toward sanctuary. These works were made in response to prayers for the artist’s grandmother. Across the exhibition, a recurring tree motif appears as a site of protection and refuge.
The works invite slow looking. They sit with uncertainty, care and belief rather than resolve them. Figures often appear suspended between states, held by colour, pattern and gesture. There is a quiet tension in the scenes, but also moments of shelter and calm. The paintings are worth seeing for how they hold personal experience without closing it off, leaving space for viewers to bring their own readings to the work.
The exhibition is curated by Tayla Hollamby.
Norval Foundation will open presenting works by leading contemporary artist Portia Zvavahera, on Tuesday, 17 February 2026 at 6pm, as part of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) programming.
