My work captures what it feels like to be completely free—those rare, expansive moments when I’m in flow and deeply connected to something greater than myself, something I call ubunye, loosely translated as “oneness.” I use mirrors as my canvas, pouring vibrant rainbows of paint onto clear panes so that light itself becomes part of the artwork. Each painting is a portal—a snapshot of that liberating feeling. Although abstract, the work is physical, grounded in material and process.
I was raised Catholic, and stained glass always filled me with awe. It represented the divine, yet it existed within the paradox of an institution that both inspired and restricted. Through my practice I reclaim that sacred visual language on my own terms.
In my solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, I explored themes of liberation through installation—using reed mats to reflect on women’s experiences of freedom in the intimacy of relationships, in dreaming, and in spiritual and economic life.
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Bokani Tshidzu (b. 1987, Zimbabwe) is a London-based multimedia artist who merges jewel-bright abstract painting with computational installation and large-scale public works. She holds a BSc in Politics with Economics from the University of Bath (2009) and an MA in Computational Art from Goldsmiths, University of London (2022). Recent milestones include a solo residency-exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo (2023), the UK-wide museum group show Conversations (2024), selection for the Gucci Art Program (2024) and winning the public vote on BBC One’s The Big Painting Challenge (2018).
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University of Bath - Politics with Economics BSc - 2009
Goldsmiths College, University of London - Computational Art, MA - 2022
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Beyond Borders,Finnish Museum of Technology (Helsinki, Finland) , 2025
New Bond Street Art Program, Gucci, (London, UK), 2024
Conversations,Walker Art Gallery, (Liverpool, UK), 2024
Sibone Okunye (solo), National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, 2023
Beyond Figuration: Then and Now, Gillian Jason Gallery, (London, UK) 2023
Untold Stories, A public art commission by the London Mayor’s Office for a mural in Freston Road, 2023Reconciliation: The unfinished business of liberation
Fiztrovia Chapel, (London, UK) 2022
Mystical Nature, Roman Road Gallery, (London, UK) 2022
In Conversation Now! Shapero Rare Books, (London, UK) 2022Some of us are brave III (Oxford, UK) 2022
#BlackArtOutdoors Billboards (London, Leeds, Bristol, UK)2020-2021
Port of Call, Changing Room Gallery, (London, UK) 2021
ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, (London, UK)2021
Some of us are brave II , Stratford Library,(London, UK) 2021
The New Hues Of Blackness, MYO Victoria, (London, UK) 2021
Kaleidoscope: A Celebration of Colour, Drian Gallery (London, UK), 2021
Shivers, Goldsmiths College, (London, UK) 2021
Some of us are brave, JM Gallery,(London, UK) 2021
Advent 2020, St Paul's Hammersmith, 2020
Bare & Bond, Old Bank Vault (London, UK), 2019
Art for Air, Old Bank Vault (London, UK), 2019
Blessed Art Thou Amongst Women, Mount St Jesuit Centre (London, UK), 2019
getLerped, Goldsmiths College (London, UK), 2018
Renaissance, Espace7 (Paris, France), 2018
Chapter Ten, Library Members Club (London, UK), 2018
Still Life, Glasgow Distillery (Glasgow, Scotland), 2017
Still Life, House for an Art Lover, (Glasgow, Scotland), 2017
Landscape, Westonbirt Arboretum (Cotsworld, UK), 2017
Expression, Library Members Club (London, UK) , 2015 – Solo show
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Art Review - Gucci Art Program: Acts of Translation
The Chronicle - "Sibone Okunye"- a maternal tale
The Sunday News- 'Exploring the stories of women'
The Independent - ‘Fine art can be black’
The Telegraph - The Big Painting Challenge
BBC 1 - The Big Painting Challenge, Winner of the Public Vote, 2018
The Guardian - Social enterprise lessons from the American South