BOKANI

Bokani’s technique involves urgent, gestural movements, exploring and responding to colours as they interact on the canvas. She believes in the integrity, freedom and honesty of abstract painting. Bokani has developed a method over several years of creating rational patterns that lead the viewers’ eye across the paintings, reminiscent of the dancing African printed cloths of her childhood.
 
Bokani’s work is characterised by spontaneous, vibrant colour, fuelled by an exploration of themes and motifs engaging the viewer intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Painting has empowered her to move past the childhood loss of both parents to resolve questions of global female identity, black African heritage and belonging.

Bokani’s resilient, triumphant and optimistic attitude is conveyed by the powerful and vivid use of colour, structure and texture. Chiefly concerned with our response to the climate crisis, her paintings elicit a new response to nature. Bokani draws on Laudato Si, published in 2015, using a printing technique which carries over paint in patterns of relation to illustrate the idea of integral ecology.  The details of the paintings are evocative of natural patterns, colours and textures, creating a visual poem to the concept of integral ecology which describes our patterns of connection to all life. 

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This tension between creative abandon, emotional expression and technical discipline elicit dynamic responses, creating works that are an on-going conversation between the artist and the viewer. 

Her digital works are infused with her colourful aesthetic and spiritual conversation, engaging with the powerful technology influences of our time; machine learning, computer visioning and artificial intelligence.  

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Bokani Tshidzu was born in Zimbabwe and moved to England as a teenager. Her work is blending an African sensibility with the traditions of conceptual western art. She studied Politics with Economics (2009) at the University of Bath, as well as a Masters in Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, University of London (2020) specialising in Computational Art. The key theme of her digital practice is journey, creating a narrative that takes viewers on an immersive experience. 

She was co-founder of a sustainability software firm for six years and has worked in finance and politics. Following a spiritual journey on foot across the north of Spain, on the Ignatian Camino, Bokani made the commitment to working as an artist. She was discovered by BBC 1 for the show ‘The  Big Painting Challenge’, and won the public vote in the first week. 

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She is living and working in Bow, in London’s East End. 

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Photo: Becky Mursell