1. Billie Zangewa was born in 1973 in Blantyre, Malawi, and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Rhodes University, South Africa after studying printmaking.
12 Facts About Billie Zangewa
1. 2.
Billie Zangewa's mother worked in the textiles industry on sewing and embroidery.
3.
Billie Zangewa indicated that: "Silk has a fabulous quality of reflection but at the same time, I think it is very modern and at the forefront of fashion".
4.
Billie Zangewa talked about her interest in fashion photography and the narrative approach, for example, of Ellen von Unwerth in her works.
5.
The tapestry depicts the city-scape of Johannesburg, reduced to miniature proportions in comparison to the graceful but towering figure of Billie Zangewa, who appears nude except for a banner encircling her body.
6.
The work came at a time when Billie Zangewa was breaking off a proposal, and signifies the commitment she made to herself, self-love that has been present and recurring in much of her work ever since.
7.
Almost always the protagonist in her works, Billie Zangewa becomes a heroine whose daily life is revealed through the scenes she illustrates.
8.
Billie Zangewa finds importance in the everyday practicality of fabric that brings something familiar into her work and parallels the focus on appreciating domesticity.
9.
Billie Zangewa's finished tapestries celebrate imperfection with their raw, irregular edges and often large pieces seemingly cut out of the tapestry that seem to impede on the scene.
10.
Billie Zangewa uses self-referentiality as a conceptual framework within which to epitomize the contemporary African woman and contribute to her redefinition in societies in which patriarchy and reactionary views continue to work against the liberation of women.
11.
In 2018, Billie Zangewa was the featured artist for the annual FNB JoburgArtFair.
12.
Billie Zangewa is included in the book Vitamin T: Threads and Textiles in Contemporary Art,.