Vanguard Gallery

1988 Born in Harare, Zimbabwe.

2008 National Certificate in Fine Art – National Gallery of Zimbabwe Visual Arts Studios

Now lives and works in Harare

Gresham works against the sweeping identity that has been defined by the voice of the state. His images oscillate between figuration, abstraction and hallucination, drawing from the restless energy of the ghetto. Mbare is Harare’s and perhaps Zimbabwe’s most vibrant and notorious ghetto. Allegedly ridden with hooliganism, violence and prostitution, Mbare is said to parallel the conditions of Harare for Zimbabweans during the colonial segregation era (in respect of its hardship and quality of living space). To this day Mbare retains the character of a port city with its trade, shady deals and otherwise bustle of unremitting human traffic amid urban decay. Living on the verge between survival and demise has been somewhat of a call to poetry, at times proving brutal and at others sentimental or cynically satirical. In his works, symbolic collapsed figures, floors and chairs are everywhere. With irony, he talks about social issues such as class inequality and consumer culture in the urban environment without concealment.

Solo Exhibitions
2024 “Immanentize the Eschaton”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe
2022 “Ziva Munhu Wako”, First Floor Gallery Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
2022 “Negotiating Chaos: It’s the way it shatters that matters”, Simone Subal Gallery, NY, USA
2022 “The Joys of Self-Delusion”, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, China
2021 “Premonition of Civil Peace”, Selma Feriani Gallery, Tunis, Tunisia
2021 “Grey Spaces”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2020 “True Optimism”, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, China
2019 “Poetry of Rebels”, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, China
2019 “Day and Night”, GNYP Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2019 “Night and Day”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2018 “Kubatana”, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK
2017 “Mazino”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2015 “HARARE // MUNDOPA + NYAUDE”, Nyaude–Hazard Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
2013 “In Black and White”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
Group Exhibitions
2024 “Kuvhunura: The Harare School”, Fondation Blachère, Bonnieux, France
2024 “FNB Art Joburg”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Johannesburg, South Africa
2024 “MIART”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Milan, Italy
2024 “Vanguard Onwards”, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, China
2024 “Investec Cape Town Art Fair”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Cape Town, South Africa
2023 “Paper Weight”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2023 “Sovereign Art Prize finalist exhibition”, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa
2023 “Messe Messe”, First Floor Gallery Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
2022 “Expression Obsession Connection”, Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2022 “Unruly Paradigms”, Frieze 9 Cork St, London, UK
2021 “Mirror Mirror! – South South Veza”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2020 “Level | Mosi-oa-tunya”, First Floor Gallery Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
2019 “Harare Fauves”, Alon Ragev Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2018 “Songs for Sabotage”, New Museum Triennial, New York, USA
2018 “Right at the Equator”, Depart Foundation, Los Angeles, USA
2018 “Defying the Narratives”, Ever Gold Projects, San Francisco, USA
2018 “Ex Africa Aliquid Novi”, Yannick & Ben Jakober Foundation, Mallorca, Spain
2018 “Kubatana”, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK
2017 “Face the Magic: Gule Wamkulu and its heirs”, Loving Monro Gallery, Santa Monica, USA
2017 “Another Antipodes/urban axis”, PS Art Space, Freemantle, Australia
2016 “Rites of Passage between Light and Shadows”, Sulger-Buel Lovell Gallery, London, UK
2016 “I am because you are”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2015 “Flaunt, Africa New Wave Now”, Ethan Cohen Fine Arts, NY, USA
2014 “Wayland Rudd Collection”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2014 “No Limits (HIFA)”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2014 “Young Artist Exhibition”, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
2013 “Chiso”, First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe
2012 “Young and Awakening”, Gorgan Museum, Golestan, Iran
2012 “Raising the Roof”, Tambira gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
2012 “Tradition religion and culture”, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2012 “Unity”, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2012 “Artist in the stream 1″, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2011 “Freedom revisited”, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2010 “Facet”, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2010 “African Colour and Soho”, Maputo Gallery, Mozambique
2010 “Zimbabwe @ 30”, National Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
2009 “Women”, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2009 “Land”, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
2008 “Dumela Word”, Georgia, USA
2008 “COTTCO”, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
2008 “Final Year exhibition”, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe