Growing up, Solomon Mugutso would sketch out the unique features of those he saw on the street. He was forced to leave his home in Zimbabwe and upon arriving in South Africa, he struggled to find a space that welcomed him. “Having moved around a lot in my life, it made me feel displaced,” says Mugutso.
He started using art to create a space where people could explore their backgrounds and connect with each other. Covering a range of issues through his work, such as marginalisation and gender-based violence, Mugutso interlinks a diversity of viewers through the emotions conjured in his pieces. “Art has given me a place in this world,” he says. He believes that universal connection can be created through individual expression.
The 42-year-old collects soil from the different places he visits and unites them in a single portrait piece, one face that symbolizes many. His works represent the collective consciousness of people from separate areas. He offers free classes to all those interested. “Why would I charge for a material I know I have in abundance?” he asked. “Art makes me feel like I belong and I’d like my students to feel the same,” said Mugutso.
Over the year,Mugutso has exhibited in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and even across the seas in Sweden. In 2019, he was the Most Recommended Artist at the Rosebank Rotary Arts Festival.
