Zambia Art: Stary Mwaba

I was first introduced to Stary Mwaba's work on my first weekend in Zambia. He showed at a Christmas fair, at the time I wasn't aware what a phenomenal body of work he had. But even then his pieces really grabbed my attention. Since then Stary has been to the New York, and had exhibitions several other places. His work is becoming international, so I knew we needed to add a piece to our collection prior to our departure.

Much of Stary's work depicts transition from rural life to city life. Transformation is a reoccurring theme. This is from Stary's newest series, where he creates pieces that incorporate chitenge material, a traditional African cloth. The material is used mainly by women as clothing and is patterned with a number of different designs both traditional and political. They represent to Mwaba a key part of the African culture, which have been manipulated by businesses and politics. Read more about Stary and his work here.

Stary is such an amazing artist, his story is inspirational. And his pieces allow the viewer to consider the many transitions that individuals go through, and the changing world that we are all a part of. I look forward to seeing where he goes in the future.