TAFADZWA TEGA | Fortune Favours the Brave

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14 March 2026 - 04 April 2026
Everard Read Franschhoek
20 Huguenot Road

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, 14 March 2026 at 11AM. 

Tafadzwa Tega was born in Zimbabwe and spent his formative years growing up in Harare. This upbringing and way of life within the vibrant Shona community has remained a hugely influential part of the artist’s work. As a result, Tega’s work speaks to the struggles, dreams and triumphant moments of the people of Zimbabwe. But political and economic stability over several decades has forced many Zimbabweans to emigrate, with the artist and his relatives themselves being victims of this forced migration.

Finding themselves in foreign countries – and, often, subjected to poor working and living conditions – Zimbabweans learn how to make ends meet while, and at the same time, to not forgo ambition. These seemingly disparate ideas of joy and desire that are juxtaposed with the realities of exploitation and alienation of migrant workers are further explored here in Tega’s newest solo exhibition, Fortune Favours the Brave.

Through this collection of work, Tega celebrates the resilience and bravery of his community to risk all that they have in pursuit of better opportunities and success. It speaks to those special moments of triumph where their courageousness paid off; the first member of a family to graduate with a university degree, or the hopeful potential of better employment possibilities. According to the artist, this unwavering ability his community has to remain hopeful in the face of life’s harsh realities is, in itself, something to be celebrated.

These feelings of jubilation are communicated through Tega’s use of bold, vibrant colour paired expertly with variations of patterns that energise the canvas. Various, seemingly random objects can be seen scattered throughout the composition, and have become synonymous with Tega’s practice. However, they are far from random – they are carefully seclected symbols that are tied to his home or the people he has encountered along his own journey in South Africa. For example, in Mbare (one of the oldest and most high-density suburbs in Harare) a newspaper is utilised as a tool for community building, with the same newspaper passed between neighbouring families throughout the week. Similarly, another element typical of Tega’s work, is the peel and stick wallpapers in variations of checkers and chevrons that have come to represent the diasporic ideas of home, shared culture and community for Black households around the world.

 In today’s society most people paint their walls, leaving the wallpaper to exist in old photographs from past eras. In these photographs, people dress their best (the process of getting ready is seen in works such as Sisi Roda); they choose glamorous settings for backgrounds; they pose. Tega’s paintings are inspired by these photographs, conveying citizens’ resilience and determination to live (or, at least, to project) a better life.

READ MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

EVERARD READ FRANSCHHOEK
20 Huguenot Road, Franschhoek, 7690
+27 21 876 2446 l fgallery@everard.co.za
Monday – Sunday | 09:30 - 17:00

If you are looking to add to your collection and you are unable to make it to our gallery during operating hours, please contact us via fgallery@everard.co.za to make an appointment outside of these hours.